This is Chile's second city, and the country's major port. Merchant and military ships jostle for position out in the harbour, and we can watch the loading cranes on the go 24/7. Behind the port the city sprawls over several steep hills, houses built virtually on top of each other and filling every gap in the ever decreasing space. A precipitous labyrinth of stairs runs in between, and several funicular railways are strategically placed to take the strain if you don't want your legs to. We spent a happy day strolling and riding up and down.
Valparaiso is far poorer than Santiago. I'm not much into authenticity, living as I do in California, but the whole place has a somewhat more "Latin" feel than the polished capital. Still, there's a ton of construction and restoration going on as Chile's economy booms, and the houses are painted in a full spectrum of colours. This is also graffiti capital, with major artists and amateurs alike displaying their talents. It all makes for a very colourful urban recipe.
Another thing the city is famous for is chorrillana. This is the dish of choice for the Chilean student or those on a tight budget - a bed of chips (french fries, American readers) gives support to beef, sausage, chorizo, and any other meat products that might be handy in the kitchen, which is then whipped up with scrambled egg and topped off with fried onions and herbs. I haven't correlated Valparaiso's heart disease quotient with its invention here, but Hannah and I had one for lunch (served, surely as a joke, with freshly squeezed orange and apple juice) and we do not plan to eat again until we get back to Santiago.
We walked for the rest of the day in an attempt to burn off as many of the heavier fats as possible, and found our way to the Museo Naval. The British and Chilean navies have a very long history of cooperation, going back to Lord Cochrane, a disgraced British officer who was asked to set up the Chilean navy during the war of independence and was so successful that the British navy pardoned him and invited him back.
The Chileans have been buying British warships ever since, including two submarines my Dad built, and I think the old HMS Norfolk (now renamed the Almirante Cochrane) is one of the ships anchored out in the port. There's plenty of British stuff in the museum, and we had a long chat with one of the guides who told us how much the Chilean navy owed to Britain. He was speaking to us in Spanish, so that's what I'm guessing he was saying.
One famous British sailor they do not like around here is Sir Frances Drake. He blew in a few centuries back, robbed the church of its gold and communion wine, set fire to a few buildings, and then sailed into the literal sunset. In the museum they had a display on piracy that included portraits of Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and Sir Francis. That's a little harsh...
We're now back in our lovely little guests house that's run by an Australian-Chilean couple, so we've already had a good chat about the cricket and the rugby world cup, and there are proper tea bags in our room. The sun is going down, the fog is arriving from the bay and settling in the steep streets, there's just been another earthquake, and everyone speaks Spanish. Remind you of any other city?
Dos boletos de ida a Valparaiso, por favor.
We have arrived!
Up and down the crazy streets, accompanied by the odour of burning gearboxes.
Some of the more artistic graffiti.
Looking down.
Hannah descends.
The Hotel Brighton. Yep!
Painted houses, another suspicious reflection of SF.
Not all graffiti is equal.
But I do quite like this one (no, I didn't draw it myself).
Something political...?
Oooh yes, the infamous chorrillana. It tastes a lot better than it looks. It's also meant for two (although they supply you with a bowl of bread as well, which went untouched).
The ascensor artilleria - what goes up must come down. And it's graffitied too.
The port and the city.
The view from our room!
Inside the Museo Naval.
Planning my naval conquest. I think I'd have made a good pirate.
Hannah would have been my first officer.
Me and Lord Cochrane.
Sir Frances Drake? A pirate? Queen Elizabeth I didn't seem to think so.
My Dad's submarine, rebranded Chilean.
This is one of the actual capsules, built in a naval workshop, they used to rescue the Chilean miners in Copiapo last year. You can step inside. It's a tight fit!
More meaningful graffiti.
More crazy Valparaiso architecture with this wedge-shaped house.
Hannah poses with a new friend. Are those coca leaves?
Fancy buying in Valparaiso? Perfect for the DIY enthusiast.
Looking down from another funicular, ascensor Reina Victoria. I haven't found out exactly what Queen Victoria has to do with the place, but there's a hotel named after her as well.
Also, for some reason, the fire station is British, and has a fire engine covered with English-language fire safety posters.
One of the locals regards us suspiciously as we return to our guest house.
The lights come on in Valparaiso.
