VALPARAISO, CHILE (SANTIAGO)

Today we leave the cozy confines of our stateroom and start our long journey home.  To avoid a mass exodus from the ship, cabins are assigned colored tags indicating your departure time from the ship.  Our color was brown and our departure time was scheduled for 8:15am.  As soon as our color was called we said farewell to the Norwegian Sun and headed to the baggage claim area to locate the ‘brown’ rows of luggage.   We quickly located our suitcases and met up with the rest of our group for today, a group of only 14.  Since we were heading into Santiago and would not be returning to the ship loading a 16 passenger van with 14 people plus all their luggage proved to be quite a challenge but finally the doors were closed and we pull away from the port area at 9:15am.  

Overlooking the docks

Panorama of the bay

First task this morning was a tour of Valparaíso, with it’s unique labyrinth of cobbled alleys and colorful buildings.  Valparaíso was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.  Although technically only Chile's 6th largest city, with an urban area population of just over 260,000 in the greater Valparaíso metropolitan area, including the neighboring cities of Vina del Mar, Concon, Quilpue and Villa Alemans, it represents the second largest in the country with over 800,000 inhabitants.  

Interestingly, this port city sits atop 57 hills.  Because of the extreme slopes of the hills, many of the areas are inaccessible by public transport.  These areas are serviced by 15 funiculars located throughout the city.

 

As we made our way around this unique city, ones eyes were constantly drawn to the excessive number of dogs roaming the streets.  Our guide advised us that there are over 50,000 stray dogs in Valparaíso, all of which are protected by the government. 

All dogs are protected by the government

Photos hereOne of our stops was the War of the Pacific Monument.  The war was bittersweet for Chile, having taken Arica in the North from Bolivia and Peru but subsequently loosing Patagonia in the South to Argentina.  

Valparaíso, or “Valpo” as it is called, is the graffiti capital of Chile but not graffiti as one might find on the streets of Athens, in London, New York or Berlin.  Local businesses embrace this creativity and the best street artists are paid for their work.  This is true street art.  After the city was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage center in 2003, a $73 million dollar investment program prompted a much-need influx of government spending and Valpo is transforming into Chile's most creative city.   

local street art

local street art

 

Local street art

Next we headed east toward the wine region of Casablanca. Our stop would be at the Matetic Vineyard.

Entering into Matetic Vineyard

Grounds of Matetic Vineyard

The cost was $15 US dollars per person for a tasting of 5 different wines which included 1 white and 4 reds.  

Our group ready for our wine tasting

White:

EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Casablanca Valley

Red:

Corralillo Pinot Noir 2013, San Antonio Valley

Corralillo Winemakers Blend 2012, San Antonio Valley

Corralillo Syrah 2013, San Antonio Valley

EQ Coastal Syrah 2012, San Antonio Valley

The story of Matetic Vineyards begins in 1999.  Led by Jorge Matetic, fourth generation of the family in Chile, the family faced the challenge of planting Syrah in a cool-climate location, becoming a pioneer project and developing a new category of coastal Syrah within the country. Currently, Matetic Vineyards has 370 acres of coastal vineyards planted with cool-climate varieties; exporting to more than 30 countries around the world. 

After this brief stop, we made a roadside lunch stop at Los Hornitos de Curacavi. 

It looks like a very large palapa as you drive up. The floors are a combination of tamped dirt and tiles giving it a very rustic feel.  The waiters are all males dressed in traditional “Huaso” costumes.   We were somewhat daunted by the size of the menu and the fact that it was Spanish but the waiter, along with our guide, explained any questions we had.  I found it much easier to simply go with the local Chilean house specialty of Pastel de Choclo, which was corn pie with chicken, eggs, olives, and raisins.  It was served in a very large and round deep dish, which reminded me of chicken pot pie, only much better. I also ordered a glass of the house white wine and my total bill came to about $15 US dollars.    

Los Hornitos de Curacavi Restaurant

Inside the restaurant

House specialty of Pastel de Choclo, which was corn pie with chicken, eggs, olives, and raisins.

After a relaxing lunch we left for downtown Santiago.  Time was slipping away quickly so we simply drove by a couple of landmarks and then headed off to the airport.  We were dropped off at 6:45pm for a scheduled 9:45pm departure.  After 16 hours of flying on 3 different airplanes, we finally arrived into Medford, Oregon just shortly after noon the following day, bringing to a close our 18-day cruise adventure.