SANTIAGO: MERCADO CENTRAL PART 1

I cannot believe I've been in Chile for less than 24 hours and I'm already falling deeply in love with this country. I talked to so many smiling faces today in and around Santiago, my heart has melted a little bit. It is the people that really make a place isn't it? We only scratched the surface with a short trip to Mercado Central, lunch of avocado and heart of palm salad and a lovely candlelit dinner we ate as the sun went town, painting the Andes a shocking pink. I'm as giddy as a school girl! There are so many electric colors and textures here, and as I said before, a genuine friendliness.

Mercado Central was built in 1872 for the National Exposition in Chile and continues to host a smaller (semi touristic) fish market with many seafood cafes. The ironwork and architecture is lovely, full of graceful lines and curves.