A blog is scary: you publish it without the time to let it absorb the inevitable additions, changes, and deletions. In my last post, sent out for all the world to see (well, maybe not ALL the world), I noted that Valdivia’s promenade does not extend beyond the city center.
Mea Culpa!
Today I returned to the Feria Fluvial (also called the Mercado Fluvial …) in the city center and headed upriver to see just how far the promenade went. Behold, it went on and on and on. How I missed finding it my first day here is a mystery that will never be solved, but I’ll chalk it up to jet lag and disorientation.
It’s Sunday, sunny with temperatures in the seventies, and the promenade drew hundreds of people. Families, couples, and university students about to start the new school year strolled along, watching the river and the interesting assortment of boats making their way across the water. An occasional jogger slipped by at a faster pace. Food trucks parked in the street, artisans spread out their crafts, a guitarist jazzed up local melodies, and homeless dogs (there are a lot of them) scooted by with great purpose.
Ironically, when I was doing my virtual traveling on Google maps months ago, I had located the promenade. In fact, in one chapter of the novel-in-progress, two characters rent a dinghy and head upriver along the promenade, almost capsizing when a speedboat zeroes in on them.
The moral — don’t trust your senses the day after 24 hours of flying.
I love your descriptions and the pictures!
Thank you so much!