A Mucho Feria
On Sunday, Mikey and I decided to be adventurous and check out the largest feria in Montevideo: Feria de Tristán Narvaja. When people say it’s big, they are seriously underselling it. Yep, just the three of us: Mikey, myself and his boot.
A feria is basically a street market—what we’d call a farmers’ market in the old country. But this one? This one took that idea and said, let’s do more.
As soon as we arrived, I was taken back to my childhood. One of my happiest memories is going to the farmers’ market in downtown Dallas with Mom and Mom B. I was the only child, which meant I didn’t have to share attention, and we’d wander booth to booth while they searched for the best produce. There’s something about markets that just feels right.
Back in Montevideo, the feria stretched not only down one long street, but also across multiple side streets running parallel and perpendicular. Yes, geometry made a surprise appearance. There were hundreds of vendors and what felt like thousands of people.
And the things you could find? Just about everything. Fresh produce, handcrafted wooden items, leather belts and handbags, clothing, art, mate accessories, flowers, and food trucks (when did food trucks become everywhere?). We even found cinnamon—something we hadn’t been able to track down since we arrived. There were also booths selling laundry detergent, paper goods, door locks, tools, and plungers. One entire street was dedicated to books, including a physics textbook from the late ’70s. And I thought text books in Texas were behind the times.
Despite the crowds, no one was rude or pushy. We saw only a handful of police officers, casually chatting on the sidelines. Most importantly, we felt completely safe. That feeling alone made the experience even more enjoyable.
We spent about three hours wandering, talking, and taking it all in. It felt good to get out of the house, spend time together, and experience another slice of life in Uruguay. Something tells me this definitely won’t be our last feria.
Thanks for sticking with me to the end. Remember: Be kind to one another and be kind to yourself.
