Los Domenicos and Chilean food

We've now had almost three full weeks in Santiago, and we're really taking it easy. If we go out and do one thing every day, that's totally fine. This is a city we've spent a lot of time in and we have a list of stuff we'd like to do, but we're definitely not feeling any stress about getting out and seeing the sights. The rest of the year will be spent at a much quicker pace, so these weeks have been more about getting used to being on the trip and relaxing a bit.





One place we wanted to visit was Los Domenicos, which is a arts and crafts shopping area.

There is also a large pet store there, and Carter really enjoyed looking at all the animals. They even had little chicks and ducklings. So cute!

There are a couple of restaurants in the middle of the shopping area, and we stopped for lunch.

I'd been wanting to get a pastel de choclo, which is a traditional Chilean dish. It's sort of like a shepherd's pie, except that the top is made of a corn mixture rather than mashed potatoes. 

It also has a chunk of chicken breast in the middle. It was yummy!

Another traditional Chilean dish is the empanada. 

They typically come with either cheese or a ground beef mixture. Here Carter is trying a cheese one.

There is a park with a nice playground nearby, and Carter spent some time playing there while I did a little shopping.

One thing that's new in Santiago since the last time we were here is that there is exercise equipment in many of the parks. It's like there is playground equipment for adults!  

 While I'm on the subject of food, here are some other things that are fun to eat in Chile. Fresh juices are really common here, made with whatever fruit is in season. Carter is in juice heaven!

Here's something really unique. It's called mote con huesillo and it's basically a drink. It's peach juice with cooked wheat and a big dried peach. I've been wanting to try one for a while and finally had a chance. YUM.

Peruvian cuisine is really popular in Santiago (there is apparently a large Peruvian immigrant population here). This restaurant is just down the road from our hotel and we had a fantastic dinner there one night. 

I've never had ceviche as good as this, ever. 

One of our favorite restaurants is Azul Profundo, a seafood restaurant in the Bellavista neighborhood.  

Seriously, if you love seafood, it doesn't get much better than this.

Otherwise, we've spent a lot of time hanging out. Carter has had lots of time to play in parks and swim, and then in the evenings we sit on the balcony and enjoy the view. Doug and I drink wine, and it's very relaxing.

Tomorrow we're going to take a trip up in the mountains, something we've never done here. So check back for some pictures of the Andes.