We reached Valparaiso last evening when the sun had still quite a way to go below the horizon. A little more than an hour’s drive from Santiago airport took us through the Casablanca valley, famous for its white wines and the miles of potato fields. Vineyards with their products on large hoardings fought for attention along the sides of the highway while the valleys ran miles of potato fields. We left the snow capped Andes behind and the green fields of vines and potatoes were a very soothing sight.
The Zero Hotel from its Winter Garden
As we approached a wall of hills the driver told us that Valparaiso nested on its slopes facing the Pacific Ocean on the other side. In Valparaiso we drove up the Cerro Alegre to a very stylish Zero Hotel, which is a 19th century house converted into a 9 room boutique hotel with gorgeous views of the port and other hills of the city. A visit to Chile cannot go without Valparaiso as its culture, leftism, art and music stand out and paint a fantastic collage on a hilly sun drenched palette. One of the oldest in this country, Valpo has seen many opulent days before the Panama Canal stole the glory of these southern ports. However, with a will to change and the pride of its citizens, Valparaiso is regaining some of its old glory. There is a definite feel good factor on its streets and on the faces of its people.
One of the many Funiculars
This morning we decided on a walking tour of parts of the city and Macarena, a very young student of history in the University of Valparaiso met us at 10.00 am to guide the two of us on this walk. Built on dozens of hills this city is best known for the funiculars elevators (highly inclined cable cars) that connect the residents to the commercial world and the port at the foothills. During the walk we learned many new things about the city and its people, its port life, the sailors and prostitution, the music and murals, Pablo Neruda and his influence and of course the food.
Nicknamed “The Jewel of the Pacific”, Valparaíso was declared a world heritage site based upon its improvised urban design and
Street Murals
unique architecture. Although Santiago is Chile’s official capital, Valparaiso houses the National Congress. Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century, when the city served as a major stopover for ships travelling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan. Always a magnet for European immigrants, Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age, when the city was known by international sailors as “Little San Francisco” or “The Jewel of the Pacific.”
Colours of Valparaiso
Examples of Valparaíso’s former glory include Latin America’s oldest stock exchange, the continent’s first volunteer fire department, Chile’s first public library, and the oldest Spanish language newspaper (El Mercurio) in continuous publication in the world. As I said before the opening of the Panama Canal and reduction in ship traffic dealt a staggering blow to Valparaíso, though the city has staged an impressive renaissance in recent years.
The colours of its houses, the labyrinth of alley ways, stairs and lanes, the undulation of the city scape and the Pacific Ocean
More Murals
onthe west makes up a brilliant poem that is Valpo. Macarena’s take on the city’s people, their likes and dislikes and her interest in our back grounds and cultures made for interesting conversation that culminated over a few glasses of wine after which we headed for the much desired meal at Los Portenos-I near the central market. Teeming with locals out for their Sunday lunch, our half an hour wait was well worth it, authentic Chilean food is so good – can’t get over it!
Paella Marina - Wholesome Seafood @ Los Portenos
Our next stop was Cerro Bellavista, another hill where Pablo Neruda built his Le Sebastiana, one of his three homes, this well appointed house has a collection of antiques and gifts that he collected over the years on his travel around the world, a bar that is any wine lovers envy and the study which I can die for – any day. The views of the port and the city are amazing and very rightly added fuel to Neruda’s poetry. We then walked down through the myriad of steps passing houses made of colourful corrugated tin sheets and played with the numerous stray dogs and cats that came by on our descent.
La Sebastiana - Pablo Neruda's Valpo Abode
Valparaiso is a walker’s city, so long as you are willing to test your legs and lungs on its steep staircases and narrow alleyways—though you may prefer to use the ascensores whenever possible.Night came suddenly and the port lit up – it was time to take a break….it was many miles on our feet today. We will explore the port tomorrow.
- The Port Lights Up – From Our Room
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