Valparaiso from one of its "cerros"
Valparaiso is a unique port city spread over 42 hills (cerros), several hours west of Santiago. The city has a colorful, bohemian vibe owing to its historic buildings, mediterranean climate, and abundant street art. The lower city (business district) is laid out in a standard, orderly manner, while the cerros are covered with colorful, differently shaped residential buildings that seem to tumble down the hillsides. The lower and upper cities are connected by steep roads and stairs, and by fifteen ascensores (funicular railways) which were constructed between 1883-1914.
Pablo Neruda, one of Chile’s great modern poets, spoke of Valparaiso:
“The hills, and the sea’s abundance gave the city a pattern, making it uniform, not like a barracks, but with the variety of spring, its clashing colours, its resonant bustle. The houses became colours: a blend of amaranth and yellow, crimson and cobalt, green and purple.”
Pablo Neruda, Memoirs, 1978
Friday, December 11, 2009
On Friday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and dropped off our laundry at a lavanderia off the lively Plaza Anibal Pinto. From there, we started a walking tour of Cerros Alegre and Concepcion. We took the ascensor Reina Victoria, the oldest in Vaparaiso (1883), up to Cerro Concepcion and walked around the various windy streets. We discovered lots of colorful, victorian houses and beautiful views of the lower city and the harbor. After stopping for a lunch of empanadas, we crossed several more cerros to arrive at the Casa la Sebastiana, a former home of Pablo Neruda. It is now a small museum that houses some of his eclectic belongings and offers beautiful views of Valparaiso. On the way back to our hostel we passed through the Museo al Cielo Abierto, an open-air museum that consists of large-scale wall murals painted on the outside walls of buildings throughout Cerro Bellavista. Unfortunately, many of the works have been defaced with graffiti.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
On Saturday, we slept in and did some blogging in the morning. In the afternoon, we visited the port and walked around Plazas Sotomayor and Echaurren. There weren’t many people around and most businesses were closed, perhaps because it was the weekend. We took the ascensor Cordillera to the Museo del Mar Almirante Cochrane, which turned out to be closed. Back down in the lower city, we grabbed a trolley to the east side of town where we bought some vegetables at the produce market. From there, we took the unique, elevator-like ascensor Polanco up and walked back down. We passed the Congreso Nacional on the walk back to the hostel.
Lodging: Hostal Polanco