Valparíso ,Viña del Mar & Santiago
The last leg of our trip throughout Chile after the north is the coast and the capital. Before visiting the famous Valparaíso and Viña we meet our friend Roger to spend a couple of days in Cartagena, a small coastal town very familiar.
25th January 2019 Roger's uncle lends us his holiday home to enjoy the fresh smell of the eucalyptus trees that surround it and the view of an imminent sunset that dyes the bay with a warm color.
The next two days are spent enjoying the friends and the place before leaving for Valparaíso.
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27th January 2019 a bus takes us from Cartagena to Valparaíso, the Chilean capital of graffiti.
* For those who have not read the post of Atacama, I comment that in Chile you always have to compare the price of the bus on the web with that of the station, in this case it is cheaper to buy it at the same bus.
Bohemian and colorful, the two words I choose to describe Valparaíso that invites you to wander through its streets that offer colors, decorations, art and of course gastronomy.
Lose yourself among its high and narrow hills, inspiration of poets and writers, among them Pablo Neruda who marked a before and after in Chilean poetry, Nobel Prize for literature and lover of Valparaíso.
World Heritage City, which tries to improve every day its houses and streets that are observed from its multiple viewpoints.
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28th January 2019 In the morning we visit Cerro Alegre and Concepción, they get joined through the yugaslavo walk and then Bellavista, one next to the others and that you can do walking.
These hills located in the heart of Valparaíso and from my point of view the most picturesque of the city, with small cafes, restaurants and murals that fill and adorn its streets.
A very curious and funny fact about the hills of Valparaiso is that you can access them through elevators for 100 pesos, with which you can avoid a good climb, although anyway I recommend you wear comfortable shoes because even in the hills you will have to climb some sections.
Here I leave the map indicating the points I visited to guide you. MAP
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Take some rest for lunch at J CRUZ , where 'la chorrillana' was born.
Genuine place for sure!
In the afternoon the lower area and its pier call our attention.
A small boat takes us along the pier explaining that this is one of the main ports in Chile, showing us how a cargo ship is built, how everything is transported to Easter Island, how the city is organized and how the sea seals wander freely among the boats.
29th January 2019 From Valparaíso you can get to Viña by metro, very convenient, cheap and fast.
The garden city lives up to its name, which dresses itself with flowers in its street lamps, promenades and gardens.
We walk through the Botanical Garden and of course we visit the Quinta Vergara where in a few days the Viña festival is celebrated.
The maritime avenue that borders the coast with its castle Wullf welcoming the sea.
Walk to the casino, worthy of a visit, and continue along Peru Avenue that will guide you to Puerto Vergara.
We're going to Santiago!
The bus is again the best choice.
Santiago de Chile is a city that has surprised me a lot, cosmopolitan and full of life that you will not get bored of!
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*We have been visiting Santiago little by little, we were two days in the city when we landed for the first time in Chile, then when we returned from the north we stayed another two days just resting and before leaving the country another two days, that is to say 6 days we have enjoyed the city.
To explain our journey, I will do it with the order that we did.
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20th November 2018 We arrived in Santiago and Chile for the first time and Cristian's family is waiting for us at home with 'empanadas de pino' although I am not a great meat lover, I must confess that these were my favorites!
By the way, from my experience traveling to South America without being a good meat lover is not so easy but there is always some option.
21th November 2018 After more than a year we meet again Roger, a friend we met in Australia, but this I will tell you in another post.
To our first contact with the city a Cristian's friend joins us, who guides us through the main attractions of the city.
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A statue of Pedro de Valdivia stands on the Plaza de armas, to remind you that he conquered Chile.
The square is beautiful, with the cathedral recently renovated on one of its flanks and that you can not miss and several emblematic buildings such as the municipality, the national historical museum among others.
The palace of La Moneda near the plaza is the residence of the president and some state ministries.
The main pedestrian streets Ahumada and Estado where you can find anything you need even a 'café con piernas' (coffee with legs), these coffees are famous because they have the open bar below and waitresses with very short skirt.
We walked through the neighborhood Lastarria, one of my favorites in the city is an elegant neighborhood with parks and boulevards where you can breathe a certain intellectuality. Theaters, cinemas, bookstores ... and especially the best restaurants and cafes in Santiago.
Cerro Santa Lucía is one of those charming parks in the heart of the neighborhood that later gives us access to Cerro San Cristóbal, a wonderful place to observe the city and the mountains that surround it, if to the experience you add a Mote con Huesillo, It will be more authentic.
Today we eat for the first time the famous pastel de choclo (cake of corn) and humitas (they love corn) in the neighborhood of Neruda, Bellavista a neighborhood with bohemian air full of craft shops, art galleries and restaurants with colorful terraces.
In the afternoon we visit, a few steps from the Alameda, the streets of London and Paris, which, as their names indicate, seem to be in these European cities, with 20s's air.
29th January 2019 We stay at Nico´s in the area of ​​Providencia, a good residential area near the spectacular Costanera building, the tallest skyscraper in South America and near a walk full of green and life that borders the river Mapocho After buying all kinds of Chilean products, Estefanía and I go to the river and there watching how the night falls, we enjoy them.
30th January 2019 Today is a full day where to see the last pending places of Santiago.
We visit the Fine Arts Museum free of charge, a beautiful building of the nineteenth century in which the arts of all kinds are exposed.
One thing that you can not miss in Santiago is its markets, Chileans love to go shopping in the markets, a very popular market is La Vega, full of fruits, vegetables and noise!
After the market and the horrible heat of these summer dates we went to La Piojera for a Terremoto, a Chilean drink that is a good Chilean product.
Our last afternoon in Chile we enjoyed the best that this country has given us, my friend Cristian and his family.
31st January 2019 Bye bye Chile it was a pleasure!
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I want to thank to Cristian, famlily and friends because they all made our trip so special.
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