I finally made it to Viña del Mar, an hour drive to Santiago, with 3 days before it was time to let go of the bike.
Viña was a good place to take a last breather. It´s a modern, clean and bustling city directly west of Santiago on the Pacific. It has good beaches and good restaurants. It´s also nearly empty in May, since its too cold to enjoy the beach, which wasn´t necessarily a bad thing. The place gets really crowded during the summer when the crowds in Santiago try to escape the heat and the smog in their city.
Valparaiso is Viña´s older, more colorful and more ragged cousin further west along the coast. For most of Chile´s history it was the largest port in the country, as well as a major stopping point for ships heading around Cape Horn. The result is a city full of maritime character, but with its vices as well.
Today Valparaiso has rebilled itself as an artist´s city - real estate is cheap and the views are spectacular.
I spent a couple of relaxing days here, wandering, along with a day-trip to wine country in the cool-climate Casablanca Valley. It was a good book-end to the days of driving.
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| Colorful homes in Valparaiso, Chile |
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| More colorful architecture, Valparaiso, Chile. This kind of color is everywhere. It´s a unique place. |
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| Valparaiso, Chile |
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| At the home of Pablo Neruda, Valparaiso, Chile |
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| Pablo Neruda´s house, Valparaiso |
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| Colorful street, Valparaiso, Chile |
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| Valparaiso, Chile |
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| Colorful, expressionist graffiti. Valparaiso. |
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| Art or graffiti? Valparaiso. |
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| Valparaiso, Chile |
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| Is it just me or do even the dogs have a little bit of an old sailor vibe to them? Valparaiso. |
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| Psychedelic graffiti, Valparaiso |
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| The hippie quarter in Valparaiso. |
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| Another weathered and mellow dog in Valparaiso. |
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| Valparaiso, Chile |
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| South America´s first stock exchange, Valparaiso, Chile. Originally used to trade shares in outbound trading voyages. |
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| More modern but with less character - the coast near Viña del Mar, Chile |
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| New luxury highrises in Viña del Mar, Chile |
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| It´s too cold for most beachgoers so the dogs and pigeons have taken over, Viña del Mar |
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| Some of the best manicured parks in South America, Viña del Mar |
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| Central Viña del Mar |
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| A look down the center of Viña del Mar |
