Looking Back: Valparaíso, Chile

Another adventure from my time on the ship.

1/26 - We were in Valparaíso, Chile.  It is a funky, crowded, crazy city built on 42 hills - I really liked it.  Because of a tour office mistake I ended up escorting two tours - one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  I had been upset because days before, while I was working, all of the tours to Santiago were filled, however my tours turned out to be a lot of fun and when all of the Santiago tours returned everyone was complaining about the heat and long drive, so it all worked out for the better for me!  The reason I was so taken with Valparaiso is a certain whimsy that exists about the place.  It's name translates to goes to paradise.   

Some homes are built practically atop one another and barely hanging onto the hillsides.

Each house is painted a different, bright color and this diversity of palette is strongly encouraged. 

These homes are contrasted with stately civic buildings and grander stone homes, which are sometimes also brightly painted. 

There are ascensors, a strange mix of cable car and elevator, which take people up to their homes on the hills.

The morning tour was to the Casablanca Valley - a very beautifully verdant valley surrounded by high hills (or low mountains depending on your perspective).  It is one of the prime wine areas of Chile. 

We stopped at Viña Mar Winery for a tour of the wine making facilities, a wine tasting, and of course the opportunity to buy wines. 

Viña Mar Vineyard

Aging Room

There I was introduced to Carménère and I was enchanted by the story behind this grape.  The vine that produces this wine was thought to be extinct in Europe due to an infestation of phylloxera, an aphid-like insect.  Years later, the vine was rediscovered thriving among the Merlot vines in Chile and the wine is now thought of as mainly a Chilean export. 

The tour then went to Viña del Mar, a seaside/resort suburb of Valparaíso where we passed the casino and the popular beaches.

Strolling along Viña del Mar beaches

Crowded Beach

Viña del Mar Casino

La Sebastiana

The afternoon tour focused on downtown Valparaíso.  We stopped at La Sebastiana, one of the homes of Pablo Neruda, the author/poet.  It is a four (or perhaps five, depending on where you start counting) story townhouse with stairways that lead to dead-ends, stained glass windows placed in unusual spots, statuary fitted into the walls, and tilework and artwork spanning many very different periods.  There are nooks and crannies for sitting quietly alone or for viewing the city below.  He had the house designed and I like the way the man thought - very unconventional. 

We then drove to La Colombina, a strange looking restaurant with amazing views where I was introduced to pisco sours.  Pisco, which I had never heard of, is a wine brandy which is then mixed with lime juice and sugar (and sometimes egg whites) - a very tasty summer drink.  I also liked the people I met there - they were welcoming and put you quickly at ease.  It’s a place I'll have to revisit at some point.