Talca, Paris and London

The best bus line from the capital city of Santiago to Talca, the regional capital of the Maule Region, is called "Talca, Paris y Londres" (Talca, Paris and London).  

Can you guess why this is the name of the bus line? No it isn't because the bus stops in either Paris or London on its way to and from Talca.  Someone might think that because these are modern double-decker buses, the are comparable to the famous red buses in London or are as luxurious as something from Paris.

But neither of these is the answer.  The story goes like this.  A Londoner was visiting  Talca during the winter, and he noticed how morning after morning a thick fog covered the city lifting only way past noon.  It is true that both Talca and London (and Paris, too, for that matter) have rivers flowing through them, but  the proximity to water  only partially explains the fog.  Talca, like London before the restrictions on burning coal within the city limits, has a severe air pollution problem.  Many homes use old wood - burning stoves for heating, and most people buy green wood that burns with a thick smoke.  The Londoner, seeing the smog morning after morning, compared the gray mantle to that of London.  He exclaimed, "¡Talca se parece a Londrés!" which translates as "Talca is like London!"  But the people in Talca misunderstood his heavily accented Spanish thinking that this British citizen was comparing Talca to the grand cities of Europe.  To this day, the people of Talca are proud to place their city in the same category as the capitals of France and of England!

If you would like to watch the official Talca, Paris y Londres bus line video, you can at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWDhk9UHy3s