Kleines aber feines Valparaiso

Just a 2-hour bus ride from Santiago de Chile was our second stop in Chile: the beautiful port city of Valparaíso!

Valparaíso was once the financial capital of Chile. Even today, you can visit the old halls where stocks and securities of all kinds were traded. And of course, as 'old' bankers, we also did that. Nowadays, the halls are empty. Only a computer from the 20th century with the current stock values ​​gives a hint of that time.

Today, Valparaíso is a hub for maritime traffic. On a small boat, we explored the port area and saw huge container ships (one ship from Hamburg Süd was even being loaded) and military ships. We even spotted some sleeping sea lions.

A distinctive feature of Valparaíso are the many small houses on the surrounding hills, each painted in a different color. There is an old story that says the owners painted their houses in different colors so they could find them even when they were drunk at night! Although it's more likely and logical that the sailors painted their houses in the color of their ships, no one really wants to believe it here! :)

The whole city is filled with hidden artworks, and if you're too lazy to climb one of the city's hills, you can simply take one of the countless small Ascensores (elevators). These are sometimes over 100 years old, but they are regularly maintained and renewed.

Not far from Valparaíso is the small seaside town of Viña del Mar. Here, we spent a wonderful day at the beach and, despite applying sunscreen, got a sunburn :/ However, it has since turned brown again :)

In this sense:

Best regards,

Anna