16^th November – Valparaiso

Typical steps up the hills

We were told that we were being picked up at 10am by our guide, which we thought extremely civilised after so many early starts.  Imagine my shock then when I looked at the clock somewhat groggily and realised it was 9.10am!!  I had to wake up both Chris and Mum who were still sleeping deeply and we just had time to shower, dress and have breakfast before 10am.   This doesn’t bode well for our 4am start in 2 days time!!

Our guide, who I’m ashamed to admit I can’t recall her name, was a really lovely lady who was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic and gave us a super tour of this wonderful city.

Brightly coloured houses

Valparaiso is the 3^rd largest city in Chile and is still an important sea port today.  Its golden age was in the 19^th century when it was the centre for exportation of guano and sodium nitrate.  Many Europeans came to live here – notably the British, the French, Germans and Italians and all have left their mark here.   Sailors called it “Little San Francisco” or “The Jewel of the Pacific”, and it’s true the climate is very similar to San Francisco – i.e. –often very foggy and but with a mild Mediterranean climate.  Examples of its former glory include Latin Americas first stock exchange, the continents first volunteer fire department, Chile’s first public library and oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world.  The opening of the Panama Canal and subsequent reduction in ship traffic dealt a staggering blow to Valparaiso.  The 2^nd half of the twentieth century was not kind to the city as many wealthy families abandoned it and many of its beautiful old buildings fell into disrepair. 

One of the funicular railways

In 2003 the historic quarter became a UNESCO world heritage site, and lots of money was pumped into the city which has had had an impressive renaissance.  It now attracts lots of poets, artists and cultural entrepreneurs and hosts many festivals and is now officially Chile’s cultural capital.  It is also a major educational centre as has 4 prestigious universities here.  As part of the deal to become a UNESCO world heritage site, the city was suposed to cull all the stray dogs, but there was a huge objection to this by the local population.  A deal was struck whereby all the stray dogs were rounded up and sterilised and were fed and provided with water by the locals.  We saw lots o dogs on the street, and they were all friendly and looked plump and happy.  Tourists flock here now to admire the brightly coloured and interesting houses and the cobbled streets and enjoy the funicular railways so necessary for moving around easily in this city set on several steep hills.  Many of the buildings date from after 1906 when the city was devastated by a major earthquake when 3000 people were killed and 20,000 injured as well.  The houses used to be made from adobe which doesn't stand up to earth tremors.  Today the houses are much more substantially built but are still clad in corrugated iron to battle the constant humidity. The reason for the bright colours is that initially the houses had no numbers so had so could only be identified to visitors by their colour which had to literally stand out from all their neighbours.  The city still has many earthquakes today – apparently 10 to 20 are not unusual.

HQ of the Chilean navy

Our walking tour encompassed a lot of the expensive residential area on the hills and took in the early and very plain Protestant church and also the later Lutheran church.  We then went down to the Plain, which is flat area by the port where the main squares are with the various monuments and fountains and also the financial district.  I particularly enjoyed the huge Plaza Sotomayor with the French influenced Navy Headquarters and the monument that honours Chilean sailors who fell in the Battles of Iquique and Punta Gruesa.  We stopped off for refreshments in the Natural History museum which has a really lovely cafe with an incredible ceiling.

Some of the street art

Everywhere we walked there was most amazing street art – on house walls and most buildings.  I really loved it and thought it was great fun and really added to the vibrancy of the city.  We travelled on 2 of the funiculars which was also a great experience – apparently there were about 28 working at one time, although only 10 or so are still in use today.

View across the city with the Lutheran church

After the tour, we chose to relax by the pool and read books or snoozed in the sun and enjoyed the great views from our hotel terrace over the port.  At 6pm, we  went for a wander on a route recommended by our guide and enjoyed the vibrant colours in the sunshine as it had been overcast in the morning.  We found a nice place for a drink with great views of the Lutheran church and then ambled back towards our hotel and had a super dinner in Sabor Color, an intimate restaurant not far from our hotel.