Ascensor Artilleria Valparaiso

The only Sunday we had in Chile we decided to take a bus to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.  After lots of research during the first week we didn´t see the need to take a tour, and decided that we could do it all ourselves - our first DIY tour.  This turned out to be a great decision.  We metro´d to the bus station, used our …

Been a while since I´ve written my blogs so got a lot to catch up on!

We joined forces with our franch friend Alex and stayed at a hostel he had a friend working at which was quite an old looking hostel all higgledy piggledy (sp?!) but really nice. rustic. We wandered around the town, and the area which we stayed in is a big tourist …

Took the 9.25am bus to Valparaiso. Bus was alright, and we arrived at little past 11am. Outside the bus station was the National Congress building, which was moved from Santiago in a bid to diversify the country. Heard its not that successful though. To the left we saw the Wednesday fruits and vegetable market. And strolled from the start till the …

Valparaíso is een stad die je hart binnenstormt. 45 heuvels, verstopt onder kleurrijke huisjes, vlak aan de Stille Oceaan. Het lijkt wel Marseille, Lissabon, La Habana, Barcelona… all-in one. Maar dan met de charme van Zuid-Amerika: overal muziek, lawaai, feest. Valparaíso stuurt een dromerige energie door je lijf die je niet kan beschrijven …

... and then our very mediocre meal cost all of $30, a real tourist trap! Near the port we took the Ascensor Artilleria for a great overview of Valparaiso. It took some faith getting on this funicular, as it was originally built in 1883! But here is ...

... a boat trip, the vessels all looked rather dodgy to say the least! We then walked down to the bottom of the Ascensor Artilleria, which had a scenic location at the very end of town.   This photo is a bit like a microcosm of ...

Nach einer dreistündigen Fahrt kam ich an meinem letzten Reiseziel, Valparaiso, an. Nachdem mir jeder, der schon in dieser Stadt war, vorgeschwärmt hat wie schön es sei, war ich schon gespannt wie es mir gefallen würde. Neben vielen schönen und neu ...

... slowly haul you up to different levels, saving your legs! We went to the oldest one, Ascensor Concepcion built in 1883 and Ascensor Artilleria, the tallest one at 175 metres. You can see the ground through the floorboards as you go up! During the ...

... Given that Valparaíso is a port city and Chile's most important naval base, I opted to check out the museum beside Ascensor Artilleria.  Unfortunately...only about 30% of the exhibits had English translations.  Oops! I then headed to the ...

... Fiestas Patrias party with empanadas and traditional games out the wazoo. Afterwards Katie and I walked over to Puerto and took the Ascensor Artillería up into the cerro where we walked around a bit more. To continue with gringo festivities, a bunch of ...

... at Casa Hostal 199 Bed & Breakfast, which is right off Plaza 21 de Mayo at the top of Ascensor Artilleria. I have a stunning view of Valparaiso and the bay from my window, perfect to shoot the fireworks! People have been staking out prime viewing ...

... I know there’s an Internet connection at the cruise terminal. Walked downhill at 3:03, reaching my second funicular at 3:25: Ascensor Artilleria. This is Valp’s longest funicular at 175 meters (574 feet) and one of only three that have been ...