Viña del Mar y Valparaíso

Yesterday Claudio and I tagged along with the mission group to travel to Viña and Valpo. These cities are about an hour and a half from Santiago; it makes for a great day trip. I went to both cities on my past trip to Chile, but there is still always more to see. As soon as we made it to Viña, we stepped outside the bus and crossed the street to the sidewalk. Along this sidewalk was the shore, crashing into rocks. Unfortunately, a small group of his was unaware of the huge wave coming. Needless to say, we were drenched by the crashing wave that splashed across the street! So, therefore we were wet the rest of the day. I will remind you, it is winter here. Although, the weather was great. It was sunny most of the day with a slight breeze.

After eating lunch, we made our way to Valpo. Viña is right next to Valpo and is more of a summer destination for people in Chile and Argentina. Valpo is a port city, built on about 50 hills. There are tons of colorful houses, little shops, and hostels all along the hills. I love this city! Plus, it is completely acceptable to have graffiti lining the walls. I could walk around all day long, looking at the colorful houses and artwork at every turn.

 We also walked along the port. There are some street vendors here selling handmade crafts, candy, and boat rides. I love all the colorful boats and the sky was so blue!

 After walking around a bit more, we took an "elevator" up to the top of a hill overlooking the port. This is more like a small car/train type thing that goes up the hill. On the top were more vendors. We went here the last time I came and ate some empanadas at a nearby restaurant.

If you ever visit Chile, Viña and Valparaíso are a must-see. I would love to come during the summer some time and be able to be on the beach. It is also home to Festival de Viña in the summer, which is a huge music festival. Maybe one day I will make it to that.