One of the highlights of this trip has been day 5 in which we visited Valapariso and Viña Del Mar. These two coastal towns were absolutely stunning, and were more beautiful than I could ever imagine. My favorite part of day 5 was doing the walking tour of the streets of Valapariso, which were filled with colorful buildings and street art. I enjoyed the contrast between the murals and the colors of the buildings, which blended together nicely. The cobble stone streets also added to the appeal of the layout of the city. Despite its beauty, it seems very easy to get lost on the streets of Valapariso, as they are narrow and not marked by a sign.
Going to Viña Del Mar was a nice break from being in the fast paced city. I could see a noticeable difference between the coastal towns and Santiago, as the coastal towns are much more relaxed, have less people, and are more slow paced than the city. I hadn’t been to the beach for a long time, so taking the time to relax on the beach was great. The water was extremely cold as expected, and I was surprised by how strong the pull of the waves was.
View of Valapariso
View of the Viña Del Mar beach
Sketch of palm trees in park
Sofia, I too could definitely tell the differences in the atmospheres between Santiago and Valparaíso. Since our first day here in Santiago I could tell it was a bustling and hustling metropolis. An obvious hubbub of business, history, art, and culture seen from its immense diversity in mom and pap storefronts, corporations, and even the people walking up and down the streets. Along with that, Santiago has so much to offer in all areas of life. Before I transition into the contrasting environment of Valparaiso, I just want to give a shoutout to Christine for reading all of these blogs on the plane: Hey Christine! Anyway, Valparaiso on the other hand was definitely more of a costal town. It is very much oriented towards the sea, as seen in its art, public buildings, and even its streets. The streets themselves are all originated at the town square next to the docks, which too in themselves are the living and breathing heart and lifeblood of the city. Also, Valparaiso had more of an older and historical feel to it whereas Santiago definitely has a more recent city. Although Santiago has many historical sites and buildings, there is a definitely antiquated atmosphere surrounding the city of Valparaiso. In my opinion I enjoyed Valparaiso as a place more geared toward those looking for a classical vacation, and Santiago as a destination for people more geared towards trying all that is new, trendy, and up and coming.
I agree that Valapariso and Viña Del Mar were beautiful and were well worth the day trip! The pictures we had seen just didn’t do it the justice of actually being there. The murals were about so many different things and were consistently surprising to me. My favorite was the one with the children chained down playing Rock, Paper, Scissors over an apple while there are bombs being dropped in the background. It was incredibly sad but so beautiful. I love the look and feel of old, weathered stone, so I really enjoy the streets as well. I liked how they used corrugated steel for the housing, making them last for a very long time. I never would have been able to find my way through those streets without Sergio. Viña Del Mar definitely felt more relaxed than Santiago, there was a lot more open space in the areas we were in. And the street food there was delicious! They had some of the best empanadas I had all week. Having an opportunity to visit the ocean was a really nice break in the week to relax and enjoy the sun rather than hike around through the city all day. We only stepped in the water momentarily and our friend immediately dropped her shoes because she was so surprised by the force of the waves and how cold the water was.
I’m glad that you have a wonderful day in Valapariso. The walking tour is also one of my favorite of the trip. The neighbor is an amazing place of Santiago, I totally agree with you that the contrast between the murals and the color of the building is a moment that must to see by yourself. Walking in the narrow street, you will never know what is going to happen next, all the art paintings on the wall are colorful and stunning. It seems like we both have a good time in Valapariso, but just like you said, it is easy to get lost on those streets.
I also had a great time on the beach, the weather was really nice and perfect for relaxing. Although the water was really cold, we still had lots of fun on the beach that afternoon. Seeing the beach made me feel a little bit home sick, but I think it is cool to have the different experience of the sea in different countries.