Day trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar
Leaving a bit later today, around 9:00am, for our private tour of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Kevin and Laura are joining us for this tour so it should be a lot of fun. These two cities are located on the other side of the coastal mountain range and about 2hrs from Santiago. Our first stop today will be Valparaiso, a small coastal town with a bit of quirky architecture and a Bohemian vibe.
Cemetery #3. There are 5 cemeteries in Valparaiso. You don’t see multi-story cemeteries in the US.
Maritime Museum
Valparaiso
First impressions were less than exciting. Our guide was hoping to find a good vantage point where we could see the city, but each attempt seemed to strike out. Not until we went into town did, we start to see the narrow streets with endless stairways and houses with murals covering their walls (not graffiti!).
New office building built inside the facade of an old building. (Blue bldg)
Court of Appeals with statue of Lady Justice
Lady Justice statue with “it can wait” expression
We left the van in the city square and started off on foot to explore the upper areas of the town. I know, why pay for a van if you’re going to walk, but it’s really the only way to appreciate the artistic diversity of the neighborhoods. Not to mention occasionally stopping for a coffee or a traditional cookie, alfajores de manjar (two shortbread cookies with caramel in between, covered in chocolate), yummy!
Unique building
Walking through these neighborhood’s is like walking through an open-air gallery. Murals cover almost all the walls of homes and businesses, and sometimes the stairs going down the hill. Our guide pointed out that one of the murals made a strong statement about the artists in this area. It reads, We are not Hippies, We are Happies. Just a point of clarification.
Bunch of Happies
Artwork by Jenke & Cines, two famous artists in Valparaiso
I’m back!
Fun town but time for lunch then moving on to Vina del Mar. Our guide, Nelson, picked a very nice restaurant for our lunch that had views of the ocean. As usual, I looked for a chicken or meat dish, while Collette searched frantically for the most bizarre fish dish in all of Valparaiso. She settled on an octopus risotto (no biggie) while I shared my BBQ pizza with Kevin, and Laura had a chicken Caesar salad. Good lunch with good friends.
Off to Vina del Mar. The drive there is about 20 minutes along the coast. Nelson spent most of the time telling us about the area and the significance of to city. This is one of Chile’s more modern cities, in direct contrast to Valparaiso. Numerous high-rise buildings dot the shore while posh neighborhoods with beautiful homes form the backdrop to the city. The President even has a resort here!
Vina del Mar
Walking through these neighborhoods reminded us of Carmel, California, while Valparaiso, more like Santa Cruz, California. Both very nice cities but with definite different vibes.
Vina del Mar
This region had recently been hit with wildfires that destroyed many homes in the nearby mountains, and cost the lives of 130 people. The cities were not affected by the fires. We learned that President Boric, Chile’s current president, had opened the Presidential Resort to the families of those who had lost their homes in these fires.
The Presidential Resort
Another great day touring Chile with our friends Kevin and Laura. As with all good things, their time with us in Chile has come to an end. Tonight, we’ll share dinner then see them off. Why does time go so fast…
You never know who you’re going to see…
He took my corner!