Old Piles of Words Because the word is mightier than the stone.

Valparaiso & Viña del Mar

Our first visit from Santiago was to the popular beach towns of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. The town is also well known for its rather precarious location on top of steep hills that cascade down into the sea. So steep are the hills that in bygone times the Valparaisanos built a system of cable car elevators to make the trip less arduous.

Nowadays, cars and switchback roads are starting to replace the elevators, many of which have fallen into abandon. But the town retains its charm and, most of all, its wonderful perch over the sea.

Just up the road from Valparaiso is the more resort-y Viña del Mar. This town cultivates an almost Victorian image reminiscent of the great resorts of pre-war Europe in the south of France or Croatia. Despite the conspicuously bourgeois feel of the place, though, it has a nice beach, with really cold water that not even Venla would jump in.

We watched the sun set from here and took our evening bus back to Santiago for another week of classes.

Enjoy the pics!

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