Published: 08.01.2018
Seen enough of the city. Steffi wanted to go to the sea. So we decided to rent a car and drive to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. Renting a car with 5 people is cheaper or at least it doesn't make a difference in price compared to the bus, and you are much more flexible.
On Saturday morning, we went to a car rental agency and rented a car to drive to Valparaiso, which is 1 ½ hours away. The drive was fun, and when we first saw the sea, we stopped at a emergency stopping bay for trucks to take some photos. Then we went to the beach, which was completely crowded. It was Saturday, sunny weather, and it felt like half of Santiago was here. We dipped our feet a little into the icy Pacific Ocean. A few meters away, fishermen were gutting their catch. There were seagulls flying around and also pelicans. I don't think I've ever seen a pelican before. They are truly beautiful and impressive birds. We all took out our cameras and took photos like crazy. There was a pier into the sea, and the fishermen threw the leftovers of their catch back into the sea, which the sea lions really appreciated. We watched the scene for a while.
Then we went to a district where everything is full of street art. It was really nice to walk through the small alleys and admire all the beautifully painted houses.
We had another coffee and then continued to Vina del Mar. The two cities are right next to each other. There, we strolled along the promenade for a bit and had another beer, or I had water because I was the designated driver. Then the day was already over, and we headed back home.