Residential

Day5&6

Little sculpture in La Sebastiana

Decoration on street in Valparaíso

In day 5, we got up early and start our trip at 8:00am. Taking 2 hours on bus, we went to a costal town, Valparaíso. The geography in there was steep. Houses located from bottom to top of mountains. We straight to La Sebastiana, which is a big residential of a poet, called Pablo Neruda. He is also a receiver of Nobel. This house was facing to sea with a big terrace. Standing on the terrace, you can have a good view of the whole town and the sea. There are 5 floors in this house although each floor is narrow. (This looks like a character of houses here. )Going upstairs, You can see amounts of treasures displayed in La Sebastiana. I even found some pretty Chinese drawing! After appreciating this delicate house, we walked around the town. This town is special because all buildings are colorful. You can see scrawl on wall anywhere. And it is also interesting that design is fulfill in any corner. For instance, the stair is painted in black and white, looks like piano. Then, we go down to seaside. I enjoyed the feeling when wind flowed on my face.
Time comes to day 6. We took metro to Santiago Cathedral and Museum Memory. Santiago Cathedral is a brilliant and holy place. You would be conscious to keep silence when you walk into it. Museum Memory is another respectable place. I learn a a lots about Chilean history there. Through some video and relic, I know how Chilean experience war and gorven. I respect them because I think it is difficult for them coming from battle. After visiting Museum Memory, I have a deeper understanding of Chile.

Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar

Houses in Valparaiso

On Day 5, we took a trip to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar, which are possibly two of the most gorgeous places I have ever been to.
The first stop upon arriving to Valparaiso was La Sebastiana, the house of the poet. This house was sitiutated on a hill in a way so that it overlooked the the entire city and the coastal ports. From its windows you could see all the colorful houses making their way up the hill.
In regards to the colorful houses, I was pleasantly surprised when I got a closer look at them during the walking tour and found out that they were in great condition and none of them had faded paint. My original perception was that they were not in good quality up close, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. During the walk, we even came across a handyman who was repainting on of the houses where the color had faded, inidicating that perhaps keeping the houses’ color in top condition was enforced.
After the walking tour, we made our way down to Vina Del Mar for lunch and to spend time at the ocean, which was absolutely refreshing since the water was so cold!
On the bus ride back home, I thought about how the different lifestyles of the people here must be compared to back home in the US. There is definitely much more walking involved seeing as most of the houses are situated on hills and staircases. The coastal and clean environment kept in these winding neighborhoods gave the place a sense of liveliness, in which the colors also played a large contribution. Overall this day, and the little houses filing up the hill, will be one I hope I never forget.

Valparaiso, A City of Chaotic Beauty

Someone once told me that the irony in his major of study, was that as a planner, his favorite cities in the world were actually unplanned.  I felt this observation in the steps I took and the meandering change of elevations I made along the streets of the seaside Chilean town Valparaiso.  The artistically and visually rich city was interesting from top to bottom, every wall displaying a unique piece of art.  This colorfulness of the city’s walls and buildings was matched also by its inhabitants, and namely one of its more famous, Pablo Neruda.  The Neruda house, La Sebastiana, was filled to the brim with visually stunning objects, and a visually stunning view of the sea as well.  Each object had a story, but my favorite was a map all the way at the top of Pablo’s house in his study.  Reading 1698 at the top, I knew that as a lover of history (and maps) I would be spending at least fifteen additional minutes pouring over the ancient artifact to learn the many secrets it held.  Valparaiso was beautiful in many ways.  It’s chaotic beauty in the realization of its city-scape is apparent, matched by the rolling Pacific Ocean to its west and ever-present Andes to the east.  Having experienced every facet of the topography of Chile’s capital region (save climbing a mountain) has helped me understand Valparaiso and Santiago better than a map or a book ever will.

One colorful street in Valparaíso. One of many, each with its own set art and architecture.

Pablo Neruda’s House and Vina Del Mar

Making the long drive to Pablo Neruda’s house, La Sebastiana, was worth it. The house perfectly fit in the sea of colorful houses sitting on the mountain. The breath-taking views from the house were simply amazing. The house was very eclectic with its colorful walls, narrow staircases, cut-out doors, and opulent statues. Pablo Neruda’s house towered above the surrounding houses with its five floors and large patio. I loved how each room had its own them and was very unique in its own way. My favorite floor in the house was probably the bedroom with its amazing views. I can’t imagine waking up every morning to see all the colorful houses next to the ocean. Going to Vina Del Mar was very much needed in that I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep the past few days and taking a nice long nap on the beach with the sun on my skin and the sand in my toes definitely helped. The beach city of Vina Del Mar was picturesque and I can see why it’s named one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With floral trees and bushes lining the street, the city seemed so lively. Hopefully I will come back one day. Looking forward to the free day tomorrow!

Sketch of La Sebastiana

Vina Del Mar

Day 5

In day 5, we had been to Valparaiso, a colorful seaside town. It was a sunny day. Thousands of colorful houses on the hill are really clear from the fourth floor of Pablo Neruda house. The Pablo Neruda house is super interesting, where is like a treasure house. I found a candlestick decorated by men with hindquarters of a goat and likely they are Pan, the god in Greek myth controlling flocks. Also, I saw the plate with a pattern that a woman in a nautilus, a teapot with a lady’s head, and many other interesting collections. The overall arrangement of the house is also cool and I really like the small spaces with exquisite furnish and decorate.
The murals around those little houses on the hill are amazing. I haven’t seen so many murals at the same time before. In this city, every corner is colorful and has amazing details. I can really feel the people’s enthusiasm for art and life.
Afternoon, we went to Vina del Mar, where has good beaches. We took lunch at a Mexico restaurant and then walked to the beach. There was really too many winds and sunshine on that afternoon. I felt super cold when the winds blew me and felt hot when sun on me.

Valparaiso

Travel within Travel

Ayer se ubica como uno de los mejores días de mi vida hasta el momento. He aquí un breve resumen de lo que pasó:

montañas -Watched pasan a Pink Floyd durante dos horas

-Toured La casa de Pablo Neruda y mirado a su colección litografía probablemente más tiempo que nadie jamás

-Drew Valparaiso de arriba a abajo

-Toured La ciudad y vio la más bella pintadas y murales de mi vida. Sintió totalmente inspirado por todo. Comprado obra y fue consolada por serigrafías en las paredes. Se recordó que la letra impresa no está muerto

-Found Un agujero en la pared lugar sándwich en un accidente que Anthony Bourdain había sido rellenado y nuestras caras en las rocas. Subió alrededor y dejar que el Pacífico salpique nuestros pies

-Cambio En trajes tan rápido como sea posible y se fue al océano a gran velocidad, dejando que el agua fría de hielo se convierten en nuestro mejor amigo para las próximas horas

-Frank Perdió sus gafas, Rico puede haber experimentado la hipotermia, y Kaz era del mismo color que la arena

-Walked Por el paseo marítimo y tuvo éxito en la búsqueda de un anillo y un novio

-fieltro Gusta llegamos al final de la tierra al final del paseo marítimo, regresamos a la tierra, se convirtió en una de las cajas de arena, sol, y la pizza

-Más montañas y Pink Floyd

-Más El Huerto, la conversación y el vino

-Reír tan fuerte que no puede respirar

-Más amigos.

Day 5 in Santiago

 

Today we took two hours coach to Valparaiso. This is a colorful town and all of houses have different colors with various murals in those walls.i like those murals and it gives me a good chance to get lots of great photographs. They build their houses on the mountain and those streets are pretty steep. I am curious about how those local people drive and walk in this town.
I really like the Pablo Neruda house. I went to Hemingway’s house in Key West last winter break. They have lots of similarities. Those poets like to live in those kind of little houses and write tranquil. They all have a large houses in a really small town near sea. In Pablo’s house, he has lots of decorations: the oil paintings and old maps on the wall are brilliant. I really admire he has big windows to see the view of this town and sea. I was standing near those windows and imaging the feeling when he looking the beautiful view. I think it would be give him a lot of inspiration for his poems. It is also a really romantic town. Life in here might be really slow and peaceful.
Along the sea shore, the town becomes busy and they have lots of restaurants in there. We picked a Mexican restaurant and the food in there is tasty. After lunch we went to the cafe near our gathering place and enjoy the sea wind and sunshine in the afternoon.

Museo Cielo Abierto San Miguel

The Museo Cielo Abierto San Miguel is about a twenty minute metro ride from downtown on the yellow line. The “museum” is a neighborhood of social housing that has been transformed by a collection of murals. The murals line the north and south facades of the buildings facing Av. Departamental and Tristan Matta one block north. The surrounding area is visibly a much lower income neighborhood than the other neighborhoods we’ve been to in the city. It’s interesting how a low-income neighborhood has put itself on the map, per se, by investing its time and effort into public art.

On our way there, a man asked us if we were going to Cielo Abierto, and we told him we were. He gave us exact directions and walked with us a ways. I found it interesting that we were immediately noticed as not belonging to the neighborhood and that the murals had gathered enough attention that people who lived there were used to visitors. I’m currently in a class focusing on how art and culture can help improve the quality of living in cities and one thing that I kept thinking about was how the murals had changed the neighborhood. Of course the residents have these great pieces of art to call their own, but many of these people aren’t living in the best conditions. While we were there, I almost felt obligated to find a local shop to buy something as a way to give back to the neighborhood, however most of the places had closed already. I think it is an issue that needs to be addressed when thinking of places like this.

This project is very reminiscent of Quartier Etats Unis in Lyon that I visited last year. It was also a large section of social housing that had become worn down over the years. The residents and municipality decided in order to entice people back to the area and improve the poor quality of the buildings themselves, they would commission a set of murals. The murals there tell the history of the city and the Etats Unis development. The San Miguel murals represent a more eclectic mix of messages and styles. My favorite was one that seemed to capture the spirit of the city of Santiago and it also cleverly incorporated a shack in front of the mural wall. Other murals took inspiration from other cultures and some even had messages like workers’ rights. The murals definitely had a great impact on the space and have become a unique trademark for San Miguel.

The murals are located on the previously blank facades facing the street

 

This mural utilizes the shed in front as another surface to paint on as if it was one, uninterrupted mural. This mural is a showcase to Santiago as a whole.

La Chascona

After leaving Plaza de la Constitucion today, Asya, Serena and I went to La Chascona (the Pablo Neruda house in Santiago). It’s at the base of Cerro San Cristobal and the end of the Bellavista barrio. The house is actually three separate buildings, one along the street and two on the hillside. The house has a maritime language with porthole windows, creaky wooden floors, metal ship-like railings, and a primarily blue color scheme with yellow accents. The entrance courtyard to the house is situated at the first level of the guest house (the street-facing building) and you can either enter the guest house or take the stairs to the main house. In the guest house is a bar and dining room on the first floor with a secret passageway to a guest suite above. The guest suite opens to the upper level of the garden. From there, you go up to the main house. This is a two story building, the lower floor is the living room and a dining nook and the upper floor is the bedroom (which is inaccessible to visitors). The fireplace in the living room placed in the corner and is rounded to mimic the rounded shape of the façade. Natural wood is also used in several places, most notably as a column dividing the space. The fireplace is white and the walls are stone. From the main house, you travel up a series of winding steps to the library (and another bar). An interesting note is that the fireplace in this room has the same rounded form as the one in the living room, however it is made of stone and the adjacent wall is white (an inverse from the materiality in the living room). The “France Room” as it is called (I am not sure of its original function, it’s currently a gallery of some if Neruda’s works and photos) is at the end of the library and a large window looks out over the hillside and out towards the city.

View of the fireplace in the living room