Little San Francisco, the Jewel of the Pacific...Valparaiso, Chile

One of Valparaiso's Barrio Hills

What port city has colorful Victorian architecture on steeply sloped barrios, with winding streets linked by funiculars? Valparaiso. This town, referred to as "Little San Fransisco", even suffered an earthquake in 1906, just like San Fransisco which lies on the same fault line.

"Action-packed" describes our day in this fabulous city. Steve and Nancy, fellow cruisers, arranged for our first independent tour, this one with a local company called "Patatours". Meeting us twenty minutes earlier than expected, we were whisked off, first to ride a city train to the fish market. It was closed as usual Sundays and Mondays, but several stands were open for business, giving us a taste of the typical smells and as usual that night we ate local seafood at our buffet.

Fishmarket

Unionized boats seemed lazily ready, and fishermen were preparing for the next day's 3AM start. A few use nets, but most use one kilometer long lines, with a hook every three feet.

Fisherman Preparing Hook Lines for Tomorrow

One man's job was to organize the hooks, another to cut the sardines, and another to bait the hooks, and then curl the line into a large bowl. The fishermen said a normal catch would be about four fish for every ten hooks, not as efficient as the fishing with big trawlers, but these fishermen enjoyed their independence by continuing the old ways. Fishing in these small boats can be dangerous, and Santos Pedro is there to protect them. As we were leaving, a fisherman beckoned us back to the wharf as he fed leftovers to a group of seals.

San Pedro Protecting the Fisherman

A colony of Seals by Fishing Pier

Then it was a public bus ride to the center of the city, and our first funicular ride up to one of the 42 hills that make up the surrounding neighborhoods of Valparaiso, some designated a UNESCO site. There are 13 funiculars, all privately owned, a ride costing about 40 cents.

One of Thirteen Funiculars

Each neighborhood had its own flavor, and street art and street dogs abound. One only needs the permission of neighbors to paint walls or stairs. 
Houses many times can be reached only by narrow streets and stairways, making car use impossible.

One of MANY Street Dogs

Our guide Isaac helped us feel like locals by using three funiculars and riding a bus up one of the steeper streets near the top of one neighborhood just for the ride back down which he compared to a roller coaster. We even rode the electric trolley through the lower town center, the cars dating back to the 1940s.

We stepped into a beautiful bank, strolled around Victoria Square with its statues to the seasons and then Sotomayor Square with its magnificent Naval Headquarters. Although Chile didn't have the influx of Europeans fleeing war or poverty that Argentina and Brazil had due to its remote location, the influence of British, French, German and Italian immigrants is evident in the city's beautiful architecture and also in its love for tea and soccer.

Naval Headquarters at Sotomayor Square

Sculptures to the Seasons Victoria Square

Due to Spanish influence, Catholics dominated the city so when English settlers arrived in the mid-1800s they built a church without a spire and told the authorities that it was not a church, but only a meetinghouse. Although it looks plain on the outside, it had the typical ornate Anglican look inside. The British were loved for their help with independence (O'Higgins) so were welcomed and helped set up banking.

First Anglican Church

We stopped at a small restaurant in one of the barrios for sandwiches, for which Valparaiso is famous (meat with fried egg). Afterward, our guide shared delicious strawberries and peaches he had bought at the local market. We used part of the lunch hour to shop for a new swimsuit since the pool's chemicals had already destroyed two suits. We passed by one shop with $70 suits and then found two in a shop for a total of $23. All tags had been cut off, not sure why.

HUGE Squash and Corn at Local Market

National Sandwich

As a final remembrance of our tour, Isaac stopped on a narrow plaza overlooking the city, gave us a beautiful print of the city and a lock that we placed on the metal fence with the words, "Viking Sun 2019". Each of us got a key.

At 4PM we said goodbye to Isaac and hopped on a bus to Vina del Mar, Valparaiso's exclusive neighbor/resort town built in the 1970s with high-end hotels, highrises, a casino, and beaches. The best part was a stop at the Fonck Museum where we learned about the Mapuche people and Easter Island where we will be stopping in a week.