December 11, 2017

   We awoke to the marine layer cloud hanging over the city. There had been a light rain during the night, but no puddles on the walkways.  The temperature was about 12 C, a tiny breeze and light drizzle. We took a different stairway (escapers) down to Plaza Sotomayor to join a 10am walking tour of “Offbeat” Valparaiso.  We passed the Artilleria Ascensor or funicular which is a cable car from Errazuriz rather than Carampangue Ascensor when we use a different set of stairs to get to Plaza Sotomayor. As we were walking to Plaza Sotomayor, we looked up a side street and saw La Matriz church, the old port’s first church.  Since we were early, we decided to find the closest laundry service which is in the Alegre barrio, about 16 blocks from Plaza Sotomayor and uphill along streets that twist to the contour of the hill.  After walking another 25 minutes, we found it. The Twin Magic Laundry is a Bed & Breakfast and laundry service, which is close to a lot of hostels. The owner speaks great English and told us we could drop off our laundry in the morning and pick it up in the late afternoon.  The cost for five kilograms of clothing is $20 Canadian. Good information.  We returned to Plaza Sotomayor by a different route going downhill and taking stairway passages down to lower levels. Some of the streets were narrow and cobbled with small cafés, hostels, and shops. There were about ten stray dogs scattered around Plaza Sotomayor. Most are medium sized dogs, Labrador or German Shepherd mixes.  Most are quiet and non-aggressive unless a motor cycle goes by, not often, and they would chase it and bark.  Around the city you see bowls of water for the stray dogs.

   We arrived in plenty of time for the tour. We waited in the light drizzle. The walking tour was       a great choice since all museums in Chile are closed on Mondays. The 30 people, gathered for the ‘Tours 4 Tips” walking tour, were divided into two groups of 15 for the English walking tour. The other nationalities, of the mostly under age 35 participants, were: Australian, German, Belgian and Dutch.  Again, the guides were dressed with a red and white striped t-Shirt and the logo “Tours 4 Tips” and the name “Wally” on the front. In the “flat” section that has been reclaimed from the ocean, about 43 meters from the original shoreline there are lots of signs advising the Tsunami Evacuation routes to higher ground.

   At the east end of Plaza Sotomayor, the blue-colored palatial Edificio de la Comandancia Naval (Naval Command Building) with the name Armada de Chile over the entrance, commands your attention, then in the middle of the square lies the Monumento a los Héroes de Iquique, which has the names of Chile's naval martyrs and the important sea battles engraved in the marble monument. Closer to the Armada de Chile is the red stone, Queen Victoria hotel. The Hapag-Lloyd shipping company office building across from the monument gives a contrast of old – the first four stone storeys – and new - the glass covered top 10 storeys.  It was so controversial in the design, that after it was completed the citizens of the area petitioned UNESCO to come to Valparaiso to view the old buildings and try to qualify as a World Heritage area.  They succeeded in 2003 and now Plaza Sotomayor and the areas of Alegre and Concepcion with their late 19th and early 20th century buildings have protection for the facades of the old buildings.  On the other side of the monument is the Fire Station which houses the American Fire unit and the German Fire unit.  There are 14 other ethnic fire units in the city of 400,000.  Only the engine drivers are paid. All other fire fighters are volunteers who have one or two shifts per week.  They have regular jobs, as office workers, lawyers, dentists, etc. When Valparaiso’s first fire unit was established, it was financed by an American in 1851, who wanted the “American Fire Unit” as its name and other foreign nationals decided to fund their own fire units. Today there are Chilean volunteers and foreigner volunteers who live and work in Valparaiso as part of the team. 

  We walked down Serrano Street to Plaza Echaurren.  This was one of the richest areas in the city before the 1906 earthquake, tsunami and fire which destroyed a large part of the area and the city.  Plaza Echaurren and the surrounding streets were the shopping and cultural area in the early 20th century.  It is no longer a shopping destination due to the city’s growth. The people now live on one of the 47 hills of Valparaiso and shop locally.  Next both groups hopped on a nearly empty #512 bus to take the eight-minute bus ride up and around the twisting roads to arrive at Bismarck Plaza that is 100 meters above sea level.  It is called a roller coaster ride by locals.

   Valparaiso as a community just randomly grew from the seaside up into the hills, with no true plan. In contrast, Viña del Mar was a planned city and started to grow after the devastating 1906 earthquake.

   There is a mansion across from Plaza Bismarck which was built by a German businessman and is now a school.  The wealthy German community built high on the hill since they had brought horses and had no problem ascending hills in horse drawn carriages.  The plaza was named after the German Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire, after he negotiated the combining of Prussia, the North German Confederation and the independent southern German states. The plaza had a great view of Valparaiso (in a light drizzle).

   We followed our guide, Ignazio, down the hill to the Parque Cultural de Valparaiso, which is the former 19th century prison.  The old 400 prisoner building was built in 1807 and was decommissioned in 1899 when it was old and overcrowded, housing over 1,000 prisoners.  The city had expanded around it and neighbours did not want the prisoners there. However, during General Pinochet’s dictatorship it was used to torture political prisoners. It has been renovated and is used by artists, writers and chefs to pass their knowledge to others. The white gate house and the old 1807 brick armory are the remaining former prison buildings. The old exercise yard is now a playground and garden. The cultural center was expanded with a new modern building about 10 years ago.  It has a full calendar of free activities each month. We continued winding our way down the hill stopping at another level area to admire the view and some of the murals across the valley. When we looked at the sidewalk where we were standing, there was an intricate mosaic of beer bottle caps and pieces of tile. We arrived at the first cemeteries from the 19th century which were built, then, on the outskirts of town.  The first cemetery was the Catholic one built in 1821, for the city politicians and the wealthy prominent Spanish and French families. The non-Catholic cemetery was built in 1825 nearby, but did not contain family mausoleums like those in the Catholic cemetery. Continuing downhill we stopped at a tiny plaza called La Plaza El Descanso, where people would pause to rest as the carried dead bodies up the hill in the years before the cemeteries.  When the top was reached the bodies were just thrown off the hill into a mass grave or other times rowed out into the ocean and dumped.

   We followed Cumming Street, viewing some wall murals done by artists and stopping at the Reina Victoria Ascensor (cable car).  When we got to Plaza Cumming, which is known for its nightlife, we caught a trolley which cost 270 pesos (or 55 cent Canadian) to ride back to Plaza Sotomayor and the Tour 4 Tips office in an old mansion on Serrano Street. There was still a light drizzle.  We had walked 11,325 steps (about 5 miles) The stairs to the second floor seemed to be marble, but the wealthy owner had the white treads made from semi-precious onyx.  The once grand rooms on this level are now rented as offices, while the upper floor bedrooms have been converted into apartments.  From the bedroom at the east side of the house the former owner could watch the large bay and harbor, his business and his ships. The roof, formerly was clear glass to let in as much light as possible since the sides were butted against other mansions, is now just hardened plastic.  The group was given shot glasses of a mixture of cheap red wine and Coca-Cola, a popular drink with students.  This ended the 2.5-hour tour and the guides answered any questions regarding other sights around Valparaiso and Viña del Mar including recommendations for lunch places.

  We chose a tiny “hole-in-the-wall” fast food place, which had a sign over the door “Empanada” where we chose a chorizo and cheese empanada and a mushroom and cheese empanada with some apricot juice.  The empanadas were made as we waited.  They were generously stuffed and the pastry was warm and flaky.  Lunch cost a total of $7.50 Canadian.  There was still almost two hours before the afternoon walking tour started.

   We walked back uphill to Cumming Street to find the Reina (Queen) Victoria Ascensor (cable car or funicular or outdoor elevator) and take a better photo. Returning downhill we noticed a three-meter high poinsettia tree in full bloom. Travelling along the streets on the hills were several two ton trucks with propane cylinders. There was a tune playing from the trucks, kind of like the bells of the ice cream bicycles in Canada. They were making deliveries or just being flagged down by people who needed a new propane cylinder for their stoves. We walked along Prat street and took a photo of the Esmeralda building and the Hotel Colon, which had a “Kodak” sign.

  Then back to Errazuriz street to find the train station for a bathroom break.  The baños (toilets) cost 300 pesos (60 cents) per person with toilet tissue.  There is a small shopping area in the station and there are escalators to the second level where there is a food court selling hamburgers and hot dogs plus a Subway and a Unimarc grocery store which is closer to Loft Waddington, than yesterday’s Lider grocery store.  We wandered around the store and found Nutella spread near the jars of lightly sweetened caramel spread, which we had sampled for breakfast in San Antonio.  We also saw bottles of Cola de Mono by three different companies. It had a Christmas bell on the label. Later we asked our guide to explain the contents and he told us that it was a mixture of coffee, milk and alcohol.

   We waited in an almost undetectable drizzle in Plaza Sotomayor. There were about 70 people, gathered for the afternoon “Tours 4 Tips” walking tour, who were divided into two groups of 28 for the English walking tour and a group of over 20 for the Spanish language tour. The other nationalities of the slightly older demographic were: Australian, German, Taiwanese, American and English.  Again, the guides were dressed with a red and white striped Tours 4 Tips T-Shirts and easy to spot. One of the guides was Camille who checked us in for the tour yesterday in Viña del Mar, so she did not have to get our contact info again.  Our guide was Sergio, a newly graduated dentist from Valparasio.

   Sergio started by explaining about the buildings and monument in Plaza Sotomayor. Valparaiso is the cultural capital of Chile. The Cultural ministry is the only one with headquarters outside of the capital, Santiago, which are located in Plaza Sotomayor. Next, we walked a block to cross Errazuriz street and over to the entrance to the Puerto (port). A Spanish ship first arrived in 1536 and the captain named the place after his home town. It didn’t grow too quickly, but was a major port when travelling from Europe around Cape Horn. By the mid 18th century there were only 7,000 people.  In 1848 there were many people wanted to make it rich at the California Gold Rush, having spent many months at sea, decided to make Valparaiso home and it became a bustling place, with not only Spanish and French, but many German and English immigrants and others from other European countries.  The golden era of Valparaiso had an abrupt end with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. Today, the port of Valparaiso is not even the biggest shipping port. San Antonio is now the largest Chilean port. There is still a lot of activity in the port.

The pier is named Muelle Prat, and has an area for people to visit and an information kiosk is near the little souvenir market - Feria de Artesanía. You can watch the cranes loading and loading the big container ships.  At the entrance are two buildings with towers, one tower is part of Estación Puerto, the terminal for Merval commuter train station and is the offices of the port authority and the other tower in Aduana Nacional which houses Customs and Immigration.  This port zone was where we boarded a ship more than five years ago, but the passenger terminal is now at the north end of the port, but not used much, and the port of San Antonio is where our ships are docking.

  Next back to Plaza Sotomayor to catch a trolley (cost 270 pesos – 54 cents Canadian) to Plaza Cumming. Here Sergio explained that the area was a hot spot for food, bars and parties in the evening.  He explained about a mountain of French Fries that has more food piled on top, called something like – Toriano - that young people order for their table of friends to snack on as the drink and socialize.  Next, we walked up Cunning street to Reina (=Queen) Victoria Ascensor (cablecar,) which has been in use since 1902 as access to the British barrio (neighbourhood), and took it up to the plateau 80 meters above.  From the lookout, there was a good view of the old cemeteries, which we had visited in the morning. To get to the street, there was an option from taking the stairs or take a 4-meter long curving the slide. About half the group slid down. Sergio explained that we are walking through an area of two hills Alegre and Concepción and a century ago a road was created by filling the valley with rubble so that you did not need to go down one hill and up the other to visit friends and family.  Just use the road and save time.

   We walked over to St. Paul Anglican Cathedral which was built in 1858, the first non-Catholic church in South America. It could not have a steeple or cross on its roof and had to be low profile so as not to overpower any Catholic churches.  The design included side doors rather than a front door so that people peering in could not see the alter. When the Chilean law did change in 1865 allowing other protestant churches to be built, the German Lutherans built their church nearby with a steeple and on a cliff so that it could been seen from a distance. Then the Catholics needed a newer and better church and built one with two towers and more prominent, but as houses were built near it, only the tops of the church towers can be seen from a distance. We were not far from the former home of Pablo Neruda, a noble prize winning Chilean poet and artist. It is called Le Sebastiana and is now a museum of his collections.  We walked past the Lutheran church on the way to Atkinson boardwalk with its cafés and viewpoint of the harbor and UNESCO protected buildings.  Atkinson was an architect who designed the townhouses in the area.

   Next it was along a passage and stairway that we found the Chilean cuisine school where you can cook and shop and eat a meal prepared by you and your group under the instruction of chef. It is another tour offered in Valparaiso.  Then we found another stairway where at a large landing there was a Alfajores shop.  We loudly shouted for the proprietor to open his door and we all received an alfajores cookie wrapped in foil.  The cookie is two biscuits sandwiched with a caramel spread that is not sweet and then it is dipped in chocolate.  Somewhat like a Wagon Wheel but much better. We could buy more for 250 pesos (or 50 cents Canadian).  Many of our group indulged themselves. After this stop we were off again to the “Yugoslavian mansion” which was built by an Italian in 1916 and later sold by his widow to a single Croatian business man, who willed the massive home to his nephew who then gave it to the arts community when he died. It housed the Fine Arts Museum from 1971 to 1997 when it was closed for extensive repairs and not reopened until 2012.  There was another viewpoint of the harbor from here.  Steps 21,004

   Then we walked to the El Pearl Ascensor (cable car) which has been working since 1912, but took the stairway down Maylor street and back to Plaza Sotomayor and the “Tour 4 Tips” office on the second floor of an old mansion on Serrano Street. The group was given shot glasses of a mixture of cheap white wine and something else mixed together and called something like tea-chonez.  It was different from the shot we had in the morning.  The guide, Sergio, wished everyone well and took questions and gave dining suggestions and other things to see in Valparaiso.  We asked about the Bike and Wine Tour and were told there was room in the Tuesday and Thursday tours. We reserved a spot for Tuesday with a 5,000 peso each down payment.

   We walked back three blocks to the train terminal Unimarc grocery store and bought frozen empanadas and frozen spring rolls for dinner.  We also bought a bottle of Cola de Mono, a mixture of coffee, milk and alcohol.  It is a popular beverage at Christmas and festivals.

   Then we took the 20-minute walk back to the apartment.  The sun was not visible all day.

The heated empanadas and spring rolls made a nice dinner accompanied by the Cola de Mono. There was so much to write about that today’s events were posted over two days.

Comments to this post are welcomed.

Final steps for today 26,259.