The first time I saw the Pacific Ocean...

Trust a weather app rather than your eyes in Valdivia! It sounds strange, but it's true because the weather changes every 5 minutes, but still matches with "Google Weather". So we had planned to spend Sunday afternoon in Niebla. Of course, the forecast didn't let us down and the small to moderate hail showers cleared up by 12 o'clock.

Niebla is a small suburb of Valdivia on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. I think it translates to something like fog. Every weekend, a fair with traditional food is held there. The Chileans come with their whole family to this place to indulge in a hearty meal. Because it's cheap and delicious! My roommate Yorka lived there for 2 years and had tried every stand at the fair. Now we only got the best food to eat :D. We didn't manage to try everything that was recommended to us, so we definitely have to go back. We tried "Pastel de Jaiba" - a cream made of cheese and crabs, and "Pan de Chocolo" - a kind of sweet and salty corn cake with ground beef, chicken, and egg. The latter is pretty crazy because I've never tasted anything similar in flavor before. You definitely have to like sweet corn and porridge. We also decided to go for classic empanadas, they're always good. To wash it down, we had "Mote con Huesillo" - a peach juice with tender wheat. Mixing exotic grains into drinks for us, for the Chileans - completely normal. I didn't dare to try the cow's colon, but even Yorka had her doubts about that... Maybe next time with a Pisco.

To avoid a food coma, we took a walk to the nearby beach. The weather was super sunny, just a bit windy! Aaaand then I realized, I'm standing at the Pacific Ocean for the first time. No matter how warm it is, I have to at least put my feet in! It wasn't even that cold. Afterwards, we visited the Fuerte de Niebla, a fortress built by the Spaniards. There are a whole series of them in the area to protect the city of Valdivia from water attacks. Finally, we decided to take a ferry for the equivalent of 0.50 euros to the tiny island of "Mancera". There's another fortress there and more beautiful views. The way back was a bit tricky, the regular ferry wasn't running anymore, so we called a private ferry for ourselves (you already feel a bit like a VIP when you can enjoy a private crossing for 1.20 euros). Then just a bus ride back, 20 minutes are enough for a little nap. All in all, it was a relaxing but tiring Sunday, which Yorka and I ended with a Netflix series.

Frieda (September 16)