We started in the Plaza Sotomayor near the port and continued up through Cerro Concepcion y Cerro Alegre. The hills are covered in artwork and the we spent a lot of time walking and chilling among the paintings and cafes.
The Ocean is what makes Valparaiso. Chile's largest port and its first city, Valparaiso became Chile's most important city and its cultural center during Century XIX. Like most port cities in Chile (Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, or Antofagasta) Valparaiso was hit hard by the opening of the Panama Canal. These cities now-a-days all seem like shells of their former selves, Valparaiso has been able to hold on to what made it unique. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2003, Valpo itself is a work of art.
The second part of our trip involved crossing the Andes into Mendoza. Mendoza: the land of wine and steak. Mom had the opportunity to take part in both. Our first day there we went on a long horseback riding trip that ended in an asado with the all so famous Argentinian beef. During this trip we rode through the foot hills of the Andes outside the confines of the city limits.
On the second day in Mendoza, we did the bodega tours. We saw the wine bodegas, cavas, and viñas. On the trip we got to see the famous and ancient process of making Argentina's famous wines in person, and of course we tried a little too.
