Valparaiso

This weekend, I traveled to Valparaiso, a city carved into the the hilly terrain of Chile's coast. Located approximately two hours from Santiago, Valparaiso was once South America's major Pacific sea port. However, after the opening of the Panama Canal, ships no longer needed to go around the Cape of Good Hope to get to the Pacific/Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the economy of the city collapsed in the early 1900's but today, it has recovered much of it's shipping business in addition to being a major tourist destination in Chile. 

In order to reach the neighborhoods and residential areas located in the cliffs above the city (in Spanish, barrios), you have to take an elevator (ascensor). There are about fourteen elevators or funiculars located throughout the city in various neighborhoods. The elevators reminded me of the Big Dipper in Santa Cruz.

I visited the Naval and Maritime Museum. The following picture shows the uniforms of the Chilean sailors during the 1800's. I think this will be my inspiration for a Halloween costume come October. 

The view from the Naval and Maritime Museum of Valparaiso.

One of Pablo Neruda's three houses is located in Barrio Bellavista in Valparaiso, called La Sebastiana. Neruda certainty had a good eye for property, this is the view from the study where he wrote many of his poems.