Santiago City Tour – Part 2

I’m just going to pick up where I left off on my previous blog post…

After stopping in Plaza de Armas on Saturday, I stopped at the Mercado Central (Central Market). This building was originally planned and built to be a gallery, however somewhere along the way that changed and they decided to use it for a market. Today it is still a hugely popular market. I was a bit disappointed, but probably only because it didn’t even come close to comparing to the market in Nice, France. Regardless, it is certainly a huge market and they sell lots of fresh fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables. When I walked past all the fish and seafood, I literally had to hold my breath because it was so stinky. There are a ton of restaurants inside the market, and every single one was packed to the brim. It was mostly seafood restaurants, and they serve some of the fresh fish that is sold in the market.

Here are some pictures that I took at the Mercado Central:

The entrance (excuse my photography skills) - the Chilean flag is at the top

Stinky fish

More stinky fish

Fresh vegetables for sale

Fresh fruits - the green fruit on the left is a local fruit called cherimoya

The crowded restaurants

The stop after the Central Market was Cerro San Lucia. This is another (smaller) hill in the city. The park is really nice, and I walked to the top. There are also great views here, and I think I liked it slightly better than Cerro San Cristobal. Near the hill was a local artsy-type market where people sell clothing, purses, jewelry….anything. I browsed around for a little while and picked up a few Christmas gifts for some undisclosed recipients.

Cerro San Lucia was my last stop on my bus route. The other stops were either places that I’ve already been or places that are close enough for me to walk from my hotel. All in all, it was a nice day and an excellent way to see the city. I think I’m finally starting to get a sense of direction here and know my way around certain parts of the city.

One of the few pictures I had someone take of me - this is at the foot of the Cerro San Lucia hill

Cerro San Cristobal in the distance

That's all for now! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Ciao!