Valparaiso

19.04.-22.04.11

I was a bit upset and confused when I arrived in VALPARAISO. First of all as it didn't work out to stay with anyone in Santiago and secondly as Hector kindly offered me his nice flat for Easter and the staff from the Ecohostel invited me for a BBQ on Thursday! But as it was too expensive to travel back and as I wanted to continue my travels I decided to spend my EASTER 2011 in MENDOZA in Argentina.

In Valparaiso I took the local bus to the CERRO ALEGRE where I had a reservation with the "Hostel La Sonrisa". The helpful staff provided me with lots of useful information where to go and to see in Valparaiso.

Valparaiso or "Valo", a 1,5 hour drive from Santiago, is a charming town of historical architecture built on 45 steep hills that look out on the Pacific Ocean and down to the huge and busy port.

On my first day, which started overcast, I wandered around CERRO CONCEPTION and CERRO ALEGRE, which are the liveliest and bohemian parts of town. I loved all the great "graffiti's", colourful houses and nice and hidden restaurants and cafes with brilliant views down to the ocean. Later on I caught a boat which took the tourist through the inner harbour and from where we had a great view to the city and all the 45 hills.

The second day was a beautiful day…warm and sunny. After breakfast I walked to the House and Museum of the famous Chilean Poet PABLO NERUDA. I visited the house and took some photos even though it was allowed but I only found out afterwards. After that I walked down to the Open-Air museum where I took lots of photos of nice mosaic covered statues, benches or tables.

The third day, Thursday, 21.04.11 (Palm Thursday) I took the modern Metro to VINA DEL MAR, one of the more chic cities in Chile with modern architecture and trendy beaches. Unfortunately the whole morning was overcast but I still enjoyed strolling around the city and later on along the sandy beaches.

At around 3pm I took the Metro back to Valparaiso where I organised my ticket for Mendoza, updated my travel blog, send some emails and wrote the last post cards from the beautiful country CHILE.

On Friday, 22.04.11 (Good Friday) I took the bus at 8.30am to MENDOZA in ARGENTINIA.