Valparaíso
-
Chile - 2007
Built upon dozens of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Valparaíso boasts a labyrinth
of streets and cobblestone alleyways, embodying a rich architectural and cultural legacy.
The historic quqrter of Valparaíso is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Valparaiso like most of Chile is vulnerable to earthquakes.
The last major earthquake to strike the city directly was in 1906 which devastated the city
and killed nearly 20,000 people.
Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century,
when the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan.
Always a magnet for European immigrants, Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age,
when the city was known to international sailors as “Little San Francisco” or “The Jewel of the Pacific.”
A 1901 National Geographic article that I read, claimed that Valparaiso and San Francisco
were the two biggest cities on the Pacific coast of the Americas at that time.
We celebrated Margaret's 64th bithday at a restaurant overlooking the harbour
While Santiago is the capital of Chile, the Chilean Congress has met in a modern building in Valparaiso since 1990
After 56 days in South America on this trip we had a 13 hour flight from
Santiago to Auckland and then a 4 hour flight to Melbourne.
Another great holiday!!!
In
July-August 2007, we visited South America for our third time.
(59-days - Melbourne - Auckland - Santiago - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Iguassu Falls (Argentina and Brazil) - Buenos Aires - Salta -
Atacama Desert (Argentina and Chile) - Santiago - Quito (Ecuador) - Galapagos Islands - Quito - Bogata (Colombia) - Cartagena (Colombia) -
Bogata - Caracas (Venezuela) - Angel Falls (Venezuela) - Caracas - Santiago - Auckland - Melbourne)
After our great time at Angel Falls we flew back from Caracas via Lima to Santiago in Chile.
From Santiago we went on a day trip to Valparaiso, the port for Santiago,
about 120km away on the Pacific Coast.
Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Paradise Valley) is one of Chile’s most important seaports
and an increasingly vital cultural center. Valparaíso stages a major festival attended
by hundreds of thousands of participants on the last three days of every year.
We first visited Viña del Mar, a modern "Surfers Paradise" city, that is part of greater Valparaíso.
(59-days - Melbourne - Auckland - Santiago - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Iguassu Falls (Argentina and Brazil) - Buenos Aires - Salta -
Atacama Desert (Argentina and Chile) - Santiago - Quito (Ecuador) - Galapagos Islands - Quito - Bogata (Colombia) - Cartagena (Colombia) -
Bogata - Caracas (Venezuela) - Angel Falls (Venezuela) - Caracas - Santiago - Auckland - Melbourne)
After our great time at Angel Falls we flew back from Caracas via Lima to Santiago in Chile.
From Santiago we went on a day trip to Valparaiso, the port for Santiago,
about 120km away on the Pacific Coast.
Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Paradise Valley) is one of Chile’s most important seaports
and an increasingly vital cultural center. Valparaíso stages a major festival attended
by hundreds of thousands of participants on the last three days of every year.
We first visited Viña del Mar, a modern "Surfers Paradise" city, that is part of greater Valparaíso.
Built upon dozens of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Valparaíso boasts a labyrinth
of streets and cobblestone alleyways, embodying a rich architectural and cultural legacy.
The historic quqrter of Valparaíso is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Valparaiso like most of Chile is vulnerable to earthquakes.
The last major earthquake to strike the city directly was in 1906 which devastated the city
and killed nearly 20,000 people.
Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century,
when the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan.
Always a magnet for European immigrants, Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age,
when the city was known to international sailors as “Little San Francisco” or “The Jewel of the Pacific.”
A 1901 National Geographic article that I read, claimed that Valparaiso and San Francisco
were the two biggest cities on the Pacific coast of the Americas at that time.
We celebrated Margaret's 64th bithday at a restaurant overlooking the harbour
While Santiago is the capital of Chile, the Chilean Congress has met in a modern building in Valparaiso since 1990
After 56 days in South America on this trip we had a 13 hour flight from
Santiago to Auckland and then a 4 hour flight to Melbourne.
Another great holiday!!!