I was planning an early start but I don't manage to get to the bus station until 10am which means I arrive in Valparaiso at 11.30. I fall in love with Valparaiso immediately. I was expecting something like Positano on the Amalfi coast but this place is much bigger. Sprawling over its 42 hills (cerros), a multicoloured patchwork of mansions, tattered houses and shacks lead down to the sea. When I consult my guidebook it says the population is only 300,000 but it seems a lot more. 15 funiculars (ascensores) and a series of steep winding roads connect the lower town, known as El Plan, to the hills. There is an evident chasm between rich and poor here. The well-to-do live in large mansions alongside the dilapidated shacks of the poor.
I take to the trolley bus, affectionately known as 'el trolley' to the main square, Plaza Sotomayor. There's not much to see apart from a monument dedicated to Arturo Prat. I move on to the oldest square in town, Echaurren. In my guide book it mentions it's overrun with old drunks but I can't see any. There are a number of middle-aged and older men in shabby suits but that's nothing unusual. As I walk past one, I get a quick flash of his bloodshot eyes and realise these are the drunks.
I take El Peral ascensor, built in 1902, up to Cerro Alegre. From here I walk through labyrinthine streets, climb narrow stone staircases until I reach Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Bellavista. Both these have long been a haven for artists and students, lending them a slightly bohemian feel. There are also great views of the hills and bay.
On my way up to Pablo Neruda`s house, La Sebastiana, I stop to talk to two ladies chatting in a street of brightly painted houses. Here shocking pink meets turquoise. I ask if they`re allowed to choose their own colours as I can't imagine anyone voluntarily wanting a shocking pink house. She says the council provides them with a colour palette and pays for all the labour. They only need to pay for the paint. As I leave she warns me to be careful. 'Chileans are thieves' she laughs.
La Sebastiana reminds me a little of Dali's house in Port Lligat. There are nooks and crannies on each floor; there are flamboyant touches and almost every room has large panoramic views of the city and bay.
1 comment:
Maria I love the way you write. You captivate the reader giving them a vast wealth of knowledge about the city, and you also give us snippets of adventure i.e. the characters that you meet (red eyed drunks). You really have a gift for this. When you get back we are going to do some serious talking about your career!
Cheryl
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