Vina del Mar is northwest of Santiago and is known for its gardens, beaches and high rise buildings. The name means "Vineyard by the Sea", but it's nickname is The Garden City. The population is 350,000 and is known for the large municipal gaming casino, beaches, public gardens and theaters. Army and navy garrisons, petroleum depots and processing and fabricating industries add to the city's economic base.
Our next stop was going to be at the fish market at the beach. We drove past the vibrant colors of the Flower Clock. This landmark sits at the foot of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean It was built in 1962 at the start of the World Cup games in Chile. The clock mechanism is Swiss and the arms are each over 9 feet long.
The fish market was packed with people as they purchased fresh fish. What a sight to see: octopus, salmon, tuna and sea urchins. As we exited out of the market, we walked right onto the sandy beach. There were homeless dogs playing along the beach. These dogs keep an eye on everything. As I walked along a dog flew by me to scare off the pelicans and seagulls and then he ran towards the surf as he thought the sea lions were getting too close to the sandy beach.
Off to Valparaiso. It is a major city, seaport and educational center in this area and is the headquarters for the Chilean National Congress. Valparaiso played an important role in the 19th century, as the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Straits of Magellan. The city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco" and "The Jewel of the Pacific".
In 1906 an earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.2, hit this city and then a tsunami followed. Much of the city was destroyed. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and reduction in ship traffic dealt a serious blow to the economy. Many wealthy families abandoned the city.
Today, tourists come from all over to enjoy the city's labyrinth of cobbled alleys and colorful buildings with unique murals throughout the city. This is the absolute mecca of street art in Chile and possibly all of South America. Graffiti artists and muralists from all over the world come here to leave their mark on the walls. The murals were so colorful and expressed their opinions through their art work.
One of my favorites was the piano stairs, a tribute to Beethoven. A lifelike mural of a gorgeous, young and happy girl met you as you turned a corner of one street to another. Throughout the alleys we went, observing each of the colorful, spectacular murals. I was glad that we had a tour guide who knew how to maneuver through this city.
Lunch was at a restaurant that overlooked the city.
We ended the day at a winery, Veramonte, in Casablanca Valley. This is one of the largest vineyard in Chile and has only been around since 1990. The wine steward offered us a taste of Veramonte's signature red and white wines. The crisp bouquets of the wines were refreshing and vibrant.
Back to the hotel we went to prepare for another day of touring vineyards.
1 comment:
It sounds amazing
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