¡Valparaiso!

High Tide! Time to move out in the glorious debris. - Barbara Kingsolver

The people of Valparaiso call themselves Porteños - people of the port. I love that. It's a water-soaked geographical identity, and there's a direct correlation between the distance from me to the nearest body of water and my happiness level. But I think the port connotates more than just coastline. A port - a harbor, is a place of safety and shelter, but its also a center for exotic exchange, a point of entrance and exit for adventure. Not to mention just a really great strategy for playing "Settlers of Catan."

In the far too short time I spent in Valpo this weekend, I could feel the energy of the port pulsing through the color-packed hillsides, criss-crossed by winding roads and splattered with street art. (I'm even more into alliteration than usual this week, sorry.) And in the harbor, I felt safe.

Valparaiso is a place that holds firmly to the things that define it. I like that kind of local pride. It feels vaguely Hollandish. So in the free day we had to recorrer the city, (one of my favorite Spanish words, it means simultaneously "to run around" and "to get to know") we chose not to seek out specific sights, but just to enjoy all the things that make Valpo, Valpo. And my dear friend Carolina photographed all of it. 

1. La Playa - The Beach

And more specifically, sea lions! Question: How do they get up there? Answer: They jump. It's not graceful, but it is spectacular. 

2. Mariscos - Seafood

We were told we could find good cheap food at a restaurant above the market. A bit of a liberal use of the word cheap, but it was worth it. Like good Chileans, we slowly enjoyed a huge lunch with fish in every course. 

3. Ascensores - Funiculars 

Historic inclined railways designed for Valpo's countless hills. A little thrill for 300 pesos. 

4. Cerros  - Hills

At the top of the funicular, we kept going up, enjoying views of the sea and the city and inserting ourselves into street art. 

5. Chorrillana 

Valpo's other culinary masterpiece - french fries topped with scrambled eggs, caramelized onions and meat. Give it a second, it's going to stop sounding disgusting and start sounding awesome. 

5. Descanso - Rest

I read in an article for Spanish class that Valparaiso is known for an air of rest. For my friends and me this weekend, rest was skipping out on the nightlife to spend the night in the hotel, eating cake... Okay, so we ate a lot. In our defense, the Chorrillana was Friday night. 

So I'll admit I'm a little sad to be back in Santiago. I miss the water and I miss the colors. A note on how our program works: this week we finish up classes at the University; we'll spend most of the next month traveling and in November we get to choose where we want to return to complete our independent study project. 

My official stance is that I don't know where I'm going to end up for my project. I have cities yet to explore in Chile and Argentina. 

But I'm pretty sure I'm a porteña at heart.