Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Casablanca Valley

On our first full day in Santiago, we booked a local, full-day tour. We traveled to the coastal towns that are especially popular vacation and weekend spots for the capital's residents: Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. Valparaíso was one of the most important commercial and financial centers in Chile until the construction of the Panama Canal, and the port was the gateway to the world. The city has grown over time and founded the sister city of Viña del Mar. With the construction of the Panama Canal, a decline in the cities began.

While Valparaíso is beautiful, it has grown on the steep coastal hills, has many funiculars and elevators, as well as 'murals' on almost every house. However, the houses also reflect the decline, and many are in disrepair. The many port facilities prevent the population from accessing the sea. However, with the decline, large areas have now become available. The city plans to provide the population with access to the sea.

Viña del Mar is purely a vacation resort. A few sandy beaches, plenty of restaurants, shops, hotels, and residential complexes. Most are terraced houses. In short, it is a popular but terrible place. Perhaps comparable to St. Moritz.

After visiting the two cities, we drove to a beautiful organic winery where we were able to taste wine. We bought a bottle of Carmenère. This grape variety is special; it actually comes from Bordeaux, but survived the phylloxera disaster, which for a long time no one knew, only in Chile.