Today was another "Exploration Day" and Charlene had identified some points of interest in
Valparaiso that we would attempt to find. (A couple of old churches and a neighborhood of
historical interest) We were just leaving the building and trying to decide how to catch the bus
when an English speaking resident of the building overheard us and offered us a ride in to Valparaiso. Good start!!
Almost every neighborhood has a few shops like this one. Corner stores really, but very small. This one has full street exposure. Others are even smaller with just a tiny doorway to the street.
As it turns out, churches can be quite easy to find as the steeples stand out above the rest of the buildings. This is the Iglesia San Francisco, built in 1854. We had read about this church (and a few others) in the English version of the Valparaiso Times. This is one of three churches in Valparaiso that were the focus of an evaluation by Italian architects who had been invited to assess the safety of these buildings should there be an earthquake. This church is one that is in great danger of collapse if even a minor tremor should occur. Our pictures cannot begin to show the decay. Someone recently suggested it is being held together with "chewing gum and prayers", and it is easy to see that is the case. We marvelled that it was still open for services. Unfortunately, we arrived hours before it would be open for afternoon mass. We will have to return another day.
It is a lovely church, but by the looks of it, I'm not sure that I would want to be inside for more than a quick look around. The brickwork is crumbling, and if you look closely at the clock tower, you'll see the vegetation that has taken root through holes in the roof. It is sad to see such a beautiful building in such bad shape. The contrast of poverty and wealth in Valparaiso is evident everywhere. This church is in an older neighborhood, and it would seem that these areas are not given the priority that is necessary to maintain them.
Virtually the only construction going on in Valparaiso / Vina seems to be high rise condos / apartments. The crumbling of the old to make way for the new makes for interesting contrast. There is no doubt that the homes in the foreground were still being lived in.
Here again we liked the contrast between new and old. The color of the homes is typical of Valparaiso, and the curved faces of the well maintained buildings is interesting. You can tell that this is near the waterfront as the land is flat. Another few blocks to the left and the land starts to rise for yet another cerro (hill).
Copper mining has been (and still is) a major industry in Chile and one that Canadians are heavily involved in (Primarily in the northern 1/2 of the country). I have nothing to back this up, but am willing to suggest that this monument is dedicated to the copper industry by simulating a stranded copper wire. This monument is in one of the town squares. It was Saturday, so people are selling their wares.
In past visits to the town plazas, we have found men (mostly but not exclusively) playing cards and dominoes. Today it was Chess.
After a short sit-down, we were off to a giant fruit and vegetable market.
Some of the produce is new to us but most is quite common. One change we have noticed is that the celery is about 4 times the size that we see at home. For the most part, people are happy to have their picture taken and will often pose for the photo....
The market area was huge, much like the Farmer's Market in Saskatoon. Some was outdoors and some indoors. What we marvelled at was the volume of produce and how they could possibly sell it all. It seemed that almost every indoor stall carried much the same thing, but everything looked fresh. The indoor produce was certainly more appealing. Outside, the sun beats down on everything, and some of the veggies were looking less than appetizing.
This fellow was quick to laugh and smile and more than happy to give Charlene a taste of some fruit that she had never seen before. There she goes being brave again!! This fellow could not speak English, so we couldn't really get the name of the fruit, but when Charlene questioned whether she should eat the seeds on the inside, he made us aware through interesting body language that of course eat the seeds, they are good for flushing out the system!!
After a bit of a walk, we ended up having a snack in Victoria Plaza. Almost every plaza has a fountain or a statue in the centre, and this one is no different....
Here we are after another walk, at the monument to Captain Arturo Prat. He was a much-loved Chilean hero of the War of the Pacific (1879) between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Throughout Chile, there are many statues of Prat, and May 21, the day of his death, is a national holiday.
The following is a passage from the "Insight Guides Chile and Easter Island".....
"Prat's ship, the Esmeralda, was trapped in the bay of Iquique by the two biggest battleships of the Peruvian fleet, the Huascar and the Independencia. Prat refused to surrender and his ship resisted the enemy fire for two hours, until the Huascar rammed it. Sword in hand, Prat leapt into the Huascar with a handful of men, and was cut down. The Peruvian commander, Admiral Grau, was gentlemanly enough to send back the captain's sword and a letter he had written to his wife. It earned him equally generous treatment when the Chileans captured the Huascar later that year."
Prat's body is buried beneath this monument. It is also located on the original site of the Prat Pier, so there are archeological treasures from many shipwrecks buried under the monument as well. There are tiles placed between the monument and the shore line to indicate where the water line has been throughout the years. This is a very historical and interesting part of Valparaiso. Apparently it gets very busy around here in the summer as cruise ships dock here and passengers come ashore to do some shopping and sight seeing.
In our search for what we thought was going to be an area of old homes of the wealthy as well as a castle, we headed up Cerro Cordillera. Well.....this turned out to be the wrong cerro! We got into a neighborhood that we had some second thoughts about being in. We have never felt threatened in any way no matter where we have been, but we have heard enough people warn us to be careful that we don't want to push our luck. This was definitely one of those times that we thought, "let's not push it". So, we turned around and started back down the long hill....not before we took some photos though.....
Should any of you be interested, this one is for sale!
How did the old Merc get here and how long has it been resting on this street??!!
Valparaiso is full of surprises. There is a great deal of poverty, but also the streets are filled with expressions of the people and their culture. It is not unusual to find beautiful murals painted on walls along the long, winding streets. This particular mural was absolutely beautiful and almost appeared three-dimensional.....
This is Iglesia Matriz at the foot of Cerro Sto. Domingo. This is another one of the churches evaluated by the Italian architects. This one was found to be in fairly stable condition, but recommendations were made for fire escape routes and improved safety standards. It is much newer than Iglesia San Francisco (I'm not sure what year it was built) and in a better part of the city. We went inside to find a lovely wooden interior with beautiful stained glass windows.
As we walked out of the church, we were struck by this scene of 7 dogs lying in the sun. The fellow on the steps seemed to be a street person, but he was obviously taking care of these dogs. We regretted that we didn't take the time to go to a grocery store and buy some dog food to give to this man.
At the end of the day, our dogs were barkin' from all the walking we'd done and more than a little bit thirsty and hungry. Our Saskatoon friends, Gerry and Elaine Friesen, had suggested the Restaurant Hamburg just off the Plaza Anibal Pinto. This restaurant seems to be quite famous around here and is mentioned in many tourist guides. A most interesting place and highly recommended. The following is an exerpt from their pamphlet:
"Wolfganag Scheuber, a sailor by himself, collected maritime items from all over the world, like ship bells, flags, torpedos, etc. He turned his place into a treasury spot and a maritime museum. With good typical German and international meals, excellent wines and cold beer, the Restaurant Hamburg will serve not only sailors. Wolfgang Scheuber welcomes all kinds of visitors from all over the world."
Just so you get a sense of the food that is offered, here are a few of the menu items....
Rollmops mit Bratkartoffeln
Gulasch mit Kartoffeln oder Nudeln
Smoked Kassler with Red Cabbage
Sauerkraut with Boiled Potatoes
There is also a variety of Chilean food if the German doesn't tickle your fancy.
In this photo, Charlene is signing their guest book. You can get some idea of all the memorabilia. There didn't appear to be an inch of space available for more!
This was a new friend we made after supper.....
This was a great day from start to finish. We just love finding hidden treasures, and Valparaiso is definitely a good place to do that. As a guide, we have been using a walking tour site we found online called "Natalislang Virtual Walking Tours" (www.natalislangvalpo.blogspot.com). It is excellent, even listing a variety of restaurants and giving brief reviews of them. So.....if you ever go to Valparaiso, you might want to have this site bookmarked.
Until next time......With love, Charlene and Norm
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