CHILE: The Bohemian Port City of Valparaiso

Valparaíso is a coastal city in central Chile, located about 120 km northwest of Santiago.

It is considered Chile’s Bohemian city.

It’s famous for its steep hills, colorful houses and historic funicular elevators (ascensores) that climb between the lower harbor area and the residential neighborhoods above.

The historic quarter, with narrow winding streets and colonial architecture, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Founded in the 16th century, Valparaíso grew into Chile’s main port during the 19th century. It became a hub for trade and immigration.

Because it was a port city it was also a wealthy city with government infrastructure and buildings which boasted their commercial success. 

As an aside, otherwise known as a "Tangent Alert"..... I thought this Court of Appeals building was interesting.... check out the statue of Lady Justice in the front.

She is not blindfolded and does not hold the scales of justice balanced up high. Our guide took some poetic liberties with her explanation of why. European culture sees her as blindfolded and perfectly balanced for fairness. The Valparaiso version interprets her as seeing and taking into account the complexity of the real world.

And this sign in front of the building is a sobering reality of living on the coast along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where there are 2 tectonic plates and a risk of earthquakes and tsunamis.

Despite all that, and back to the main narrative, the wealthy merchants built fancy homes.

The city is built on steep hills (cerros) rising up abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It gives the city pretty panoramic views. 

With steep cliffs and stunning views, there are big hills to climb. But there is a solution! The funiculars help get the locals around. They connect the historic lower city to the upper neighborhoods. 

The "Queen Victoria" is the oldest operating funicular. 

It is fairly cheap to take a funicular. If you are a local it was about the equivalent of US$0.20, and if you are a tourist, rides are about US$1. John and my sister Marie don't look like locals. 

They are pretending they are stopping for photo taking, but, truth be known, they are catching their breath.

There are narrow cobblestone streets.

The city is well known for its murals.

Stairs are also painted. My thoughts are that is to distract walkers from the arduous journey to the top. 

Valparaíso has long been a hub for artists, poets, and bohemian culture.

Even though we’re not artists, poets or bohemians, we still enjoyed the quirky city, once we caught our breath.