Valparaiso is just a couple of hours from Santiago - an excellent place for a day trip. The historic quarter of Valparaiso is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Valparaiso used to be a very important port, before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and as such, it had British, German and Italian settlements among others, giving it an urban fabric and cultural diversity that made it unique among Latin American cities.
Our tour took us to the old Port and the fish market, then up the steep hills to the many streets and alleyways with their brightly coloured murals and decorations that is one of the city's distinguishing features. It was hard to walk, look at murals and take photos at the same time because the streets were steep, the steps and pavement cobbled and uneven. Almost felt lucky I survived without a fall.
We were taken through the different quarters, the British, German, Italian, Portuguese quarters each with their distinctive features. But don't ask me which is which now that I am home. Just enjoy the colourful murals as they are, in no particular order.
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| Colourful houses filled the hillside |
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| The old pier at the port |
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| Long stretch of sandy beach - perfect for the hot day if you're in a swimsuit, but otherwise heat was scorching |
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The fish market |
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| Streets were very steep - hard to walk up but even harder to walk down! |
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Not an easy walk because of the uneven cobbled pavement and also the many distractions offered by the colourful murals. One really has to concentrate and focus on one thing at a time.
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| Impossible not to be distracted by steps like these - pretty amazing! |
