Thursday, April 5, 2012

Valparaíso over St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Valparaíso is about a 1 and a half hour bus ride away from Santiago. We went there for St. Patrick's Day Weekend and had a great time. I recommend visiting Valpo if you ever get the chance to come to Chile. It's completely different from Santiago and it was an interesting step away from the city. We'll be back!

Most of the pictures on this posting were taken on a tour of Valparaíso led by our friend Peter Murphy with his company Tours 4 Tips. Here is the harbor. Apparently, people from Valparaíso refer to themselves as porteños (which means "port people" more or less). Check out the name of that little boat..... "I love Nikol". Sweet.
Headquarters of the Chilean Navy in Plaza Sotomayor in Valparaíso.
Cable car.
Friend. Tour guide. Staircase. Graffiti. Cool shoes.
View from one of the 45 hills in Valparaíso. If you're too tired to walk up the hills, some hills have ascensores or old-school elevators that will take you slowly up-hill. The city reminded us of San Francisco, New Orleans, Havana, and Gloucester all rolled into one fun and crazy place.
Stairs. There are lots of staircases. Should have moved the random piece of trash before taking the picture but hey, trash is part of life here in Valpo.
Mark on a staircase outside of the Bellavista Hostel.
Night view of the city.
Viña del Mar is the town right next door. It has a completely different feel. It's cleaner, right next to beaches you can actually swim in, and some would say, a little more boring. We weren't in either city long enough to figure out what we thought. They're definitely different. All along this walkway, there are Bible verses painted on rocks. I (Becky) like the one on the right that says "Correct your son and he will give you rest and joy in your soul." I feel like the same goes for teachers :)

Back to Valparaíso with Peter and some of his wonderful, hospitable friends from Spain, Argentina, and North Carolina.

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