I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about Valparaíso yesterday. I was also tired and exhausted and that is never a good state to explore a new city in. Today I discovered that Valparaíso is indeed very, very charming.
Valparaíso is built on several hills overlooking the bay, so there are excellent views from the hilltops (that would be even more excellent if the weather was sunny).
Climbing the hills, however, isn't all that nice. When I think about it, neither is coming down. Apparently, Valparaíso's inhabitants thought so too and built a number of public elevators. Most of them were constructed around 1900 - and are still running today!
Exploring the colorful streets of Valparaíso is a lot of fun. This is partly because - due to the hills - the city doesn't follow the typical square grid layout you find in so many South American cities. Instead of knowing what to expect at every corner, Valparaíso has tons of hidden passages and stairwells to explore; dead end streets; views suddenly opening up; and colorfully painted houses, streets and doorways at every turn.
Even the trash cans are painted here :-)
Valparaíso is built on several hills overlooking the bay, so there are excellent views from the hilltops (that would be even more excellent if the weather was sunny).
Climbing the hills, however, isn't all that nice. When I think about it, neither is coming down. Apparently, Valparaíso's inhabitants thought so too and built a number of public elevators. Most of them were constructed around 1900 - and are still running today!
Exploring the colorful streets of Valparaíso is a lot of fun. This is partly because - due to the hills - the city doesn't follow the typical square grid layout you find in so many South American cities. Instead of knowing what to expect at every corner, Valparaíso has tons of hidden passages and stairwells to explore; dead end streets; views suddenly opening up; and colorfully painted houses, streets and doorways at every turn.
Even the trash cans are painted here :-)
