Sunday, October 30, 2011

Acensores y Escaleras: Exploring the hills of Valparaíso

January 6, 2011 (part IV)

 Acensores y Escaleras means "elevators and stairs" in Spanish - two things that Valparaíso has a lot of. Many of the acensores (or funiculares, as they're also referred to), date back to the late 19th century, so riding in one is very much like a trip back in time. This unique aspect of Valparaíso's transportation system makes it well worth a few trips up and down the hillside, so we decided to spend an afternoon crisscrossing the city to take it all in.

Starting from the the flat part of town (the historical center, near the port), we took our first ride on Ascensor Concepción . A rickety old thing that slowly creaked up the side of the hill at a 30 degree angle, I think we all began to question what we had gotten ourselves into. Once at the top, we found ourselves transported to a totally different world. There was a light breeze and musicians could be heard playing in the background alongside vendors selling jewelry and other souvenirs. We also found a cute little place to stop for a cup of coffee at a cafeteria called Cafe Turri, a well known meet-n-greet spot at the top of the acensor, complete with patio seating and sweeping city views. The cafe wasn't quite open for afternoon tea (Las Once), so we walked around the neighborhood, peaked in a few of the art shops , and checked out the vibrantly colored houses of Paseo Atkinson. At Cafe Turri, I enjoyed a delicious artesanal beer from a local brewery while the rest of the group opted for coffee. It felt nice to take a break and enjoy the views before continuing our walking tour downhill, through various stairways and plazas before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel for a much needed happy hour!

Riding up Ascensor Concepción (like I said, it was STEEP!)

Enjoying an afternoon once at Cafe Turri

Graffiti-lined Pasaje Bavestrello, one of the many covered stairs paths in Valpo

Pablo Neruda's House: A visit to La Sebastiana

January 6, 2011 (part III)

A Chilean poet, diplomat and socialist, Pablo Neruda is certainly one of the most colorful personalities the country has produced in the last century. I was first exposed to his writing in a Latin American Poetry class that I took during my first trip to Chile in 2003. I was especially intrigued by his collection of love sonnets, Cien Sonetos de Amor. Each sonnet  is short and playful, yet somehow produces a depth of meaning that is difficult to accomplish in standard prose. It was the first time that I found myself enjoying poetry, and I have been fascinated by Neruda ever since.

I believe one of the best windows into someone's personality is to view the inside of their home, and Neruda does not disappoint in this regard. A foundation has been established in his name, and his three homes are now available for viewing by the general public. As one would expect from a poet, each home has a name: La Chascona (in Santiago), La Sebastiana (in Valparaíso), and Isla Negra (in Isla Negra). During my 2004 visit, I was fortunate to visit all three. On this trip, we made it to both La Chascoa and La Sebastiana.

La Sebastiana sits high atop one of the hills of Valparaíso. Our guidebook had provided instructions for catching a colectivo (see my previous post about this transportation option), so we decided to give it a go. We identified the appropriate collectivo without much trouble (being a well-tread tourist landmark, there were plenty of other folks doing the same thing), and were quickly transported up the winding streets in what can only be described as the most insane taxi ride I've ever been on. I have never gotten up a hill quicker. The taxi driver had to have been going close to 50 mph through narrow alley ways, giving a honk here and there when he thought it was necessary. 

We arrived safely at the gate to La Sebastiana where we purchased our entry tickets and began the self-guided tour. Via our audio guide, we learned that the house was built in the late 1940s by an architect named Sebastian (hence the name), who died before the unique house was fully completed. It sat unoccupied until Neruda purchased it in the early 1960's. The house has four floors with uniquely shaped rooms with lots of windows and knick-knacks that Neruda had carefully collected. One collection that I found particularly interesting was his colored glassware; Neruda believed it improved the taste of a drink. I have found myself searching for red and green wine glasses ever since - you know, just to check out the hypothesis ;).  Photos weren't permitted inside the house, so unfortunately I only have a few shots of the outside. 

La Sebastiana

View from the main floor of La Sebastiana


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Valparaíso: A Whimsical & Inspiring City

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. 


Street Art in Valparaíso

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!


Almacén Nacional

Almacén Nacional