Around the World in 180 Days with D and N: To Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

On Monday, May 4, we took an all day bus trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, two adjacent cities along Chile's Pacific Coast. The whole trip took about eleven hours, but was really worthwhile.

We were picked up at our building, then transported to a larger bus to the coast. We had a great guide, Felipe, whose excellent English and fund of information really made the day for us. There were five English-speaking tourists. We immediately made the acquaintance of Larry, a lawyer from Brooklyn. He has a house in Chaing Mai, Thailand, where he spends 6 months of the year, and has also lived in Israel and Sweden. Larry's father was the majority whip of the New York State Assembly so we talked a lot of politics and hung out with him during the trip.


Larry, Our Buddy from Brooklyn

The trip to the coast took about an hour and a half. We past through a quite sizeable wine-producing area and several tunnels through the coastal mountain range before arriving at Vina del Mar, or Vina as it's locally known. The town serves as a resort area for Santiagans as well as those from other parts of Chile and from Argentina. It has a number of "palaces", built by wealthy Chileans and foreigners, in the later 1800's and early 1900's. Our first stop was the Palacio Vergara, built by the man who first developed the area. The palace is located in a lovely park area, but is currently closed for extensive renovations due to damage from the 2010 earthquake.

The Palacio Vergara

Earthquake Damage


The Theater in Vergana Park, Site of the Annual Music Festival, Featuring Artists from Elton John to Placido Domingo


Wall Honoring Nobel Prize Winners Pablo Neruda and his Wife, Gabriela Mistral, Vergara Park

We toured more of Vina and had lunch at the casino, before proceeding to Valpo.

Floral Clock Donated by the Swiss Following a World Cup Appearance

The Municipal Casino. Lots of Slots but a Good Lunch

Brave Woman on the Beach. She Stayed in the Water About 30 Seconds.

Modern Buildings Topped by a Castle Built by a German Named Wulff


More Palaces and a Restaurant That Looks Like a Boat

The city of Valparaiso is located immediately south of Vina. The port area occupies the flats adjacent to the Pacific, but most residents live on one of the 42 hills that surround the port. The streets are narrow and extremely steep, and Felipe our guide said that Valp women are known for their beautiful legs, developed by climbing up and down the hills. Ascending and descending is also facilitated by 18 quite ancient ascensors or funiculars.

Valparaiso was a very important port for many years, not just for shipping Chilean products, most importantly copper and nitrates, but also serving as a supply base for shipping all along the Pacific Coast. Ships rounding the Staits of Magellen from Europe made stops at Valpo, and men and supplies left from the port for the California gold rush. Many immigrants made their fortunes and built their "palaces" here, with significant British, German, and other foreign presence. The city's fortunes declined precipitously with the opening of the Panama Canal and decreases in demand for natural nitrates, although it is still the gateway for Chilean imports and serves as the headquarters for the Chilean navy.