SANTIAGO DE CHILE 01/15/2023

We spent the day together as a group of three. Franzi started her vacation today, and now our time together begins. First, we went to the bus stop, and the 502 bus was supposed to take us to the city center to Mercado Central. Even on a Sunday, we wanted to see the hustle and bustle in the old fish market and have some seafood. But before that, the bus took us through an area that resembled an Indian market. Many people who live on the streets have built their makeshift shelters out of cardboard, plastic tarps, and old pieces of fabric on bridge railings and park walls. Some try to make a living by selling used clothing, worn-out shoes, and other second-hand items. When we got off the bus, we discovered an old train station (Estacion Mapocho) which now houses the Centro Cultural. We had to pass through a urine-smelling air and squeeze past people with all their belongings trying to get on the bus. The sidewalk was sticky, and the atmosphere was very oppressive. We were able to see photos of this harsh reality inside the old train station, where the best photographs of the past year were exhibited.

Then we went to the market hall, which was our actual destination. There were many market stalls (are they legal?) and loud political speakers outside, along with repulsive dirt and odors. Inside, there were countless fish stalls with everything the sea has to offer. We couldn't get enough of looking at all the fish and were constantly being pushed forward by the crowd. And so, we soon arrived at the stalls, which only sold on one side and had small restaurants on the other side. We could have fresh fish from the display immediately served on our plates in the restaurant. Wonderful! Following the suggestions from the Lonely Planet, we avoided the touristy area in the center of the hall and ended up at Tio Luco. It was great to be served a Pisco Sour on the first floor of the small restaurant and to have small pieces of bread for dipping in the sauce. On the menu, I also found my desired fish soup, 'caldillo de congrio' (Pablo Neruda's favorite dish). Karin had a 300g piece of bright red king crab meat, and Franzi had pan-fried filet of a firm fish called Reineta. All of this, accompanied by a cold Chilean wine, among locals. Time flew by quickly, and observing the surroundings in the restaurant was free of charge. This part of the program was a great success!

Then we walked through the "wild" market stalls to Plaza de Armas, the most important square in Santiago, right in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Franzi had been warning us about robberies and thefts for the past few days. The path we took (Paseo Puente) was quite crowded due to the many stalls, so we could only walk slowly. The two treasures in front of me, I acted as their bodyguard without a backpack because Franzi insisted that I shouldn't bring anything valuable. She had been observing us and thinks that we are too casual and therefore dangerously inviting with our belongings. Well, I went without a bag, and Karin had a backpack worn on her chest. By the way, locals also move forward in the same way. In the middle of the path, I had the feeling that two young men were deliberately following us. When we passed side streets, we were lucky to immediately cross, so I asked the two of them to pretend to be interested in a jewelry stand and to stop there. I observed the men and saw them walking past us and then stopping 10 meters away in front of a store, looking interested in a shop window. Maybe it was just a false feeling? I informed Franzi and Karin about my observations, and then we continued on our way, focused. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far because suddenly the smaller man attacked Franzi and ripped a supposedly gold necklace with a pendant from her neck. I reacted, although not immediately, and managed to grab the sleeve of the robber and wanted to grab more of him, but then the second man rushed towards me and pushed me in the chest with both hands, while the other one managed to break free. Then they sprinted away through the crowd and market stalls. In the meantime, Franzi had started shouting and screaming, but there was no reaction from others. Just curious looks, shaking heads, and a few comforting words. That was it, oh no! A vendor invited us into his shop through the open door and offered us seats to calm down. It seemed to me that it was not the first time he had witnessed something like this!

Franzi was physically marked by a long red scratch on her chest (nail of the robber?), rather than being psychologically affected by the incident. She didn't want to contact the police because "something like that" would never be followed up, as it is "totally common". Karin, on the other hand, couldn't calm down at first, and it wasn't until we imagined what else could have happened that our fear slowly disappeared. In front of the cathedral, which, by the way, didn't seem very impressive (not a towering spiky church, but classical, relatively flat, and angular), Franzi told us that her new boss had repeatedly emphasized at the beginning of her job the behavior to adopt in such a situation: never play the hero, give up everything, and above all, don't escalate the situation (knives, firearms, etc.). In our relaxation, we even pitied the robbers because the necklace was just costume jewelry and was worth less than 3 €! On the other hand, Franzi was wearing a very expensive pair of sunglasses on her head and had a mobile phone in her hand. They must be suffering a lot tonight when the boss of the robbers inspects the stolen goods. The two of them will probably end up with black eyes back at robber school!

We brightened our mood simply by sticking to our plan and going to Plaza de la Ciudadania. The former national printing house was located here, and it was here that the then president, Salvador Allende, refused to flee and was overthrown. This is probably why there is a cultural center underground (Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda) that we were able to visit for free. This opportunity (free museums) is now available twice a month and seems to be in a trial phase. The museum had three different exhibitions, and the rooms were nicely air-conditioned! We were also able to buy "Schockschokolade" (shock chocolate) in the museum shop and then made our way home.

Here, we had to pack our suitcases and have a light dinner with leftovers and prepare sandwiches for the departure. I'm sure the reader can understand very well that during this process, the bottle of Pisco was emptied, along with one or two beers!