We squeezed a brief stay in Santiago between the Patagonian portion of our trip and our Easter Island sojourn. We left our stay in Vina del Mar/Valparaiso for the end our trip.
Santiago, the capital of Chile, is a modern city with a modest amount of older, colonial buildings. The highlight of our stay was a lunch-time trip to the central fish market and a tour through the city's marvelous pre-Columbian museum.
Valparaiso is a hillside wonder hugging the mountainous Chilean Pacific coast. Century-old “ascensores” (cable cars) deliver you to tops of many of the city’s “cerros” (hills). From there you wander among the jumble of riotously colored buildings that cling to the city’s slopes.
It is hard to imagine that this country - less than 20 years ago - was in the grips of one of the continent’s most repressive dictatorships (Pinochet). Now it seems like a country of worker bees – the most North American of the South American countries we have visited.
Date(s): August 2006. Album by David Kohl. Photos by David Kohl & Ross Rosenberg. 1 - 27 of 27 Total. 6780 Visits.
Chile Map As you can see from the map, Vina del Mar and Valparaiso are only short distance - less than a two hour bus ride - from Santiago.
Plaza de Armas, Santiago Plaza de Armas is the large open plaza in the center of Santiago.
Entrance to Cerro Santa Lucia This public park in the center of Santiago was created in 1872. A climb to the top of the hill (cerro) rewards you with panoramic views of the city.
Cerro Santa Lucia Unfortunately it was a cloudy day and the views from the top were limited.
Artichokes A cluster of enormous artichokes photographed at a street-side vegetable and flower market.
Mercado Central This elegant steel structure was fabricated in England in 1872 and then assembled here. It is home to the city's picturesque fruit, vegetable and fish markets.
Fish stall in Mercado Central The highlight of the market is the many fish stalls packed with eel, shark, octopus and numerous unidentifiable fish that look fresh enough to escape.
Restaurant at the fish market The best part of any trip to the market is a meal at one of the many fish restaurants lining the hall. You order the fish, they grab it from the stall, cook it and deliver it within minutes to your table.
About to devour shrimp Ross ordered a dish of freshly cooked shrimp for lunch. They were tiny shrimp cooked to perfection in a garlic-butter sauce you could smell for blocks.
Hotel Bonaparte, Santiago We stayed at this relatively small hotel tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood in Santiago. Info: http://www.hotelbonaparte.com/
Santiago view This view was rarely visible during our stay. Smog and low-lying clouds obscured the Andes mountain backdrop during most of our stay. (This is scanned from a postcard.)
Valparaiso hillside The city of Valparaiso is a jumble of multi-colored clapboard homes and mansions sprawling over its 42 hills.
Valparaiso street scene The city is actually divided into two towns: the flat, lower town ("El Plan" - the business area) and the upper town with its agglomeration of buildings of every shape and hue.
Valparaiso stairway The lower and upper cities are connected by winding streets and steep stairways.
Ascensor El Peral In order to avoid a climb up (or down) the stairs, ascensores (cable cars)- constructed in the early part of the 20th century - are still used today. For a small charge (about 20 cents), you can ride up or down one of the city's fifteen funiculars - each unique in design and view.
Valparaiso street scene & bay One of the joys of this city is simply to wander the street and enjoy the superb bay views.
Valparaiso house Every street seemed to contain a unique mixture mansions and townhomes that varied in style, size, color and condition.
Window scene This city of nearly 300,000 was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003.
Street juggler This street juggler was entertaining drivers stopped at a traffic light in Valparaiso. Just before the light turned green, the juggler would "pass the hat" to collect change from the motorists.
Valparaiso bay Valparaiso, founded in 1542, became one of the most successful and vibrant port cities in all of South America in the 19th century.
Valparaiso bay The city's decline occurred after a devastating earthquake in 1906 coupled with the opening of the Panama Canal a few years later.
Valparaiso graffiti Not only were the buildings painted in vibrant colors, but many of the walls were adorned with art and graffiti.
Fire hydrant Even the fire hydrants were transformed into street art.
Valaparaiso graffiti
Valparaiso mosaic A mermaid mosaic found in a small public square in Valparaiso.
Valparaiso park
Offenbacker-hof Residencial We stayed in this bed-and-breakfast in Vina del Mar - the neighboring city to Valparaiso. It was only a quick subway ride to get from here to the heart of Valparaiso. Info: http://www.offenbacher-hof.cl/
