One this my first day of shameless tourism, I was joined by Natalie, a Holy Cross Associate, who is in her last month and a half here in Santiago. She has been her for nearly two years and still has a sizable list of things to do and see before she leaves. The goal of the day was twofold. I wanted to go to the Book Fair in Parque Forestal and she wanted to go the Cementerio General. So off we went.
First, we got off at the Banquedano metro stop and walked through Parque Balmaceda to Parque Forestal. Both parks run adjacent to Río Mapocho, which runs through the north side of the city. Parque Balmaceda has huge dirt walking/biking paths. It is not a green as some of the other parks, like Parque Forestal, and it is a bit dusty, but it does seem to be a great place for a bit of exercise. Parque Forestal is quite green and surprisingly tranquil for being in the middle of the city.
As Natalie and I were looking for the Book Fair (all I had read was that it was in the park somewhere), we came upon El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (The National Museum of Fine Arts). It is a beautiful building and we had to take a closer look. This closer look ended up in us going inside. Admission was only $600 (Ch pesos), just over a $1.25 (USD). The building was equally impressive on the inside with an opaque roof held in place by an iron lattice, letting in natural light into the principal display floor below. The featured exhibit, Lost In Nature, was a series of photographs and models of architectural projects in Norway. The houses and offices buildings that were featured were designed so as to take advantage of their surrounding natural contexts. I was impressed by the innovative designs. I will definitely visit the museum again. It is beautiful place and the admission is inexpensive.
The Book Fair turned out to be right behind the museum. Books are very expensive in Santiago. The good news was that there were a lot of really amazing deals at the fair. I bought three books, all in Spanish, which should keep me busy for sometime to come.
After all that activity, both Natalie and I were hungry. We added fire to our hunger flames by eating a churro (fried doughnut stick) filled with manjar (reduced condensed milk goodness - a Chilean staple). Both Natalie and I had been wanting to visit and eat at the famed Mercado Central - the huge downtown fish market. We were close, so off we went. The market was incredible. The structure was antique, made of stone and the same iron lattice, opaque roofing as the Bellas Atres museum down the street. Restaurants fill the central part of the market and stalls of fresh fish, along with fruits and some meats are along the periphery.
Looking through the fish stalls, I did find what I was looking for - pico rocos, large, live barnacles. They look like rocks with little critters sticking their heads out from time to time. I knew that I was going to have to try one for lunch. And I did, along with a sizzling plate of rich scallops in a parmesan and oil mixture. The pico rocos were prepared like mussels, stemmed in a broth and then smashed a bit for easy eating of the critters inside the rock. Natalie had a flavorful sautéed sea bass. We did eat at one of the tourist traps in the center of the market to take full advantage of the atmosphere. Next time I will try on of the cheaper restaurant in the depths of the market, which are better priced. Yet the food, atmosphere and company were excellent. El Mercado Central is a must see - must eat at place in Santiago. I will be a regular.
To walk off our lunch, Natalie and I stoled down 21 de Mayo to the Plaza de Armas, which was full of people enjoying the last Saturday before the start of vacations, and on down El Paseo Estado to La Iglesia de San Francisco. It is the oldest surviving colonial building in Santiago and a beautiful example of a Franciscan mission church.
The last stop on our shameless tourist adventure was to another got-to-see Santiago site, the general cemetery. It is huge - a city unto itself of family tombs and mausoleums. We found the monument dedicated to the disappeared and politically executed during the 1973 golpe and dictatorship of Pinochet. The wall is quite large and gives the sense of the lives lost during this time of Chile's history.
I have posted a few of the pictures I took today in this blog. For more pictures, look on my Picasa site, which can be accessed from the side bar menu.
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