David worked for a little while this morning. Hopefully, getting the first contract translated to English, it will make smoother sailing for the rest that will follow. I walked over to the office at noontime to get him and we headed downtown to have a late lunch at “El Mercado Central” (the fish market).

On our way, we stopped and bought a box of dog bones to feed the homeless dogs that we would see on our way. In the past, David has bought bread to feed the dogs, but they won’t eat it. So, today we tried dog biscuits…some ate them…actually inhaled them, others just left them on the ground. David learned from a Chilean co-worker that many people feed the homeless dogs. To look at them, they appear relatively healthy, so I think this must be true. The plan for next week is to try dog food! However, I think that these dogs are more accustomed to table scraps and may not eat “ol‘ dog food”!!!

It was such a beautiful, clear day today. Yesterday, it rained and when it rains, it clears the smog the next day. Plus, you could see fresh snow on the mountains today. I took more pictures of the mountains from our hotel room and from downtown today. You can see them under the photo album “Santiago, Sunday, July 22, 2007” on my webshots page at
http://community.webshots.com/user/forshara

We walked through El Parque Forestal to get to the fish market. At the entrance to the park were several policemen standing around and about six on horseback. They were taking precautions because Chile was playing Austria today and if Chile won, they didn’t want the celebration to get out of control. I believe Chile did win, but from what we saw, there appeared to be no huge celebrations.

We reached the market about 2:00 and wandered in. There are several restaurants. I think I read somewhere that many of the smaller restaurants were purchased a few years back by one person/chain. So, now the main area is under one management. We wanted something with a little more character and went to one side. We found “Tio Willy” (Uncle Willy), which had lots of character….including the maitre d’, who we later found out was the brother to Tio Willy!

I started out with a Pisco Sour…to date, the best one that I have had down here! Someone told me yesterday that the “pisco” liquor is a mix between tequilla and rum, to give you a better idea of the potency of these tasty drinks. The pisco is mixed with a collins type mix and they are sooooo good!

Our meal was seafood paella. Now, back in 1984, I traveled to Spain and “paella” was on my list to try. Unfortuately, I didn’t get any that trip and I have never had an opportunity to try it until today…..better late than never, huh? It was well worth the wait….so delicious!

So, good food, good drink, wonderful company….could it get much better??? Yes, a group of musicians came in a serenaded us while we ate. Oh my gosh, it was magical. I just looked at David, smiled, and said that this wouldn’t happen at the Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Applebees, etc at home!

We hopped the subway home and I helped David for 2 hours with his Spanish lessons. I think verb conjugation is finally starting to make some sense.

It was a magical, fun day. Hope yours was as well….

Cheers,
Sharalyn