We have booked a full day small group tour to Valparaiso. On a crisp Fall Friday morning we wait outside a nearby hotel for the tour. We are the last of the group to be picked up in the 20 person coach which includes people from the U.K., U..S., Canada, Brazil and Chile.
Our first stop is the Emeliana Vineyard in the Casablanca Valley. This vineyard as well as the other vineyards and winery of Emeliana are totally organic. The tour guide explains how it took 3-5 years to convert from standard growing and processing techniques to be organic. The tour through the vineyard highlights the chickens, guinea fowl and llamas which contribute to the organic farming. I have never before seen the teeth of a llama up close, and they are quite scary. Of course when their mouths are closed the llamas are adorable. We also learn about the natural plants used for biodynamic farming. The tour is very informative and fun, but the best part is the wines. They are very good and moderately priced. Their high-end Coyam which received 92 points is only $25 at the vineyard. If it were Napa the price would be 2-3 times higher.
The drive continues another 45 minutes until we arrive in the center of Valparaiso. Valparaiso is also famous for the 1906 earthquake which registered 8.2 and reports said the quake lasted four minutes. The city was mostly destroyed and was rebuilt. The area continues to be hit with smaller earthquakes, similar to San Francisco which was also hit by a major earthquake in 1906.
The drive continues another 45 minutes until we arrive in the center of Valparaiso. Valparaiso is also famous for the 1906 earthquake which registered 8.2 and reports said the quake lasted four minutes. The city was mostly destroyed and was rebuilt. The area continues to be hit with smaller earthquakes, similar to San Francisco which was also hit by a major earthquake in 1906.
The coach driver drops us and two tour guides off at a spot where we pick up a 1950's era street car to the port. This is not a car designed for tourists, it is a way that the people of Valparaiso get around town. We exit the street car and walk to the port where we learn that the port was busy and the town very wealthy prior to the completion of the Panama Canal a little over 100 years ago. Since then it has been in gradual decline.
The walking tour moves from the port to one of the cerro's which make up the city. The only problem is that the funicular to take us to the top is out-of-service. The tour guides (in their 20's and 30's) cheerfully say it is not an issue, there are always the stairs. Oh-oh. They advise us we do not have to hurry, we can take our time as we begin the 80-100 stairs, which somewhat mercifully have occasional flat areas between some of the flights.
Once at the top we really start a walking tour of incredible street art spread across three cerro's, which are effectively neighborhoods. The 2+ hour tour also affords views of the city and harbor and ends with a funicular ride down to our awaiting coach.
The driver takes us through parts of the town to a seafood restaurant with good views of the harbor. I break my vow not to order seafood again on mainland Chile (it always seems to be overdone) and I am glad that I do. My whitefish is moist and flavorful. After our large meal we all pile back into the bus for the 90 minute ride back to Santiago, arriving around 6pm. William and I agree that Valparaiso would be an interesting city to spend 1-2 days exploring on our own.
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