January 6, 2011 (part II)
Valparaíso really is a whimsical place. All the guidebooks I read had indicated something to this effect, but the spirit of the city cannot truly be appreciated until you're actually walking among its hilly streets. I suppose this is true of most interesting cities, but I found Valparaíso to be more insipirational than most. It's geography is similar to many other hillside cities along the pacific coast (Acapulco and San Francisco, most notably), but it has an artistic spirit and historical charm that is unmatched. It is the type of place where one cannot help but feel inspired to create. With hundreds of murals throughout the city, a multitude of artisan shops, and restored Victorian mansions, I felt a wave of creativity sweep over me as we began walking down the hill from our hotel in search of lunch.
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| Street Art in Valparaíso |
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| Street Art in Valparaíso |
We quickly found several interesting lunch choices, each with a distinct bohemian/Chilean flare that is so characteristic of Valparaíso and
Cerro Alegre in particular. We decided on a place called
Almacén Nacional ("National Market"), which in addition to serving excellent artesanal cuisine, also featured art by local artist. The chalk board menu outside had advertised a "menú del dia" for 3.800 (a fix prix lunch for ~ USD $8.00), so I went in side to inquire what the daily special was, and was happy to learn that the today's special was delectably interesting: a
quinoa beet salad with avocado to start and a slow cooked beef pot roast accompanied by brown rice and a cooked squash/carrot combo - very tasty!
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