VALPARAISO

We have both fallen totally in love with this place. It's the most amazing hodgepodge of buildings on lots of different hills, all rising steeply above the harbour with docks and a narrow strip of commercial city with some parks. We have been staying about halfway up the hills Alegre and Concepcion in a lovely room with outside window overlooking the street and views (for the first time since the start of this trip). It's cheap too because of the shared bathroom. We have rambled about quite a lot over the 2 days of being here, helped by the fantastic little feniculars which rise almost perpendicularly. They are just like little old wooden sheds on rails, and I hope dear Jason can find a picture. This morning we went up one (and then quite a lot of steep walking) to see the Pablo Neruda Museum in his old house called "La Sebastiana". Inside it went up and up too, and was full of all sorts of "stuff" as he was a bit of kleptomaniac.



SUE: If I was young this is where I would want to be,fantastic murals,funky buildings, artisans and musos everywhere, lots of markets,and a lovely climate to boot.It feels like something fresh is happening on every twist and turn of the streets and alleyways.The railways up are practically virtical,with apt names such as the holy ghost fenicular.The place really comes alive at night,with cool tunes coming from little hideyhole bars,young people eating eachother everywhere and a lovely fresh breeze rising up from the sea below.It is a world heritage site,something that I support,as most of those sites are very straight.It has a special place in both our hearts as it was visited and spoken about by ros' sailor dad and my first husband ,Dick,who was in the merchant navy.Sad to leave,I highly recommend it,it brightens the world.ps.it also has great trolley buses.