Valparaiso day 1

 Today the plan is to explore a bit more of Valparaiso.

I left the hostel taking the 30 plus steps down and 70 plus steps up to get to the vinicular.

On the way I took this picture of some of the neighboring buildings. I think this would make a great watercolor, chalk, acrylic or oil painting. Unfortunately, I am not a painter.

I was wrong yesterday, the vinicular is 100 chilean peso each way. About $.10 usd each way. Really worth it. On the way back, the attendant invited me to go down one floor to look at the workings of the vinicular. It is actually set up as a mini museum. This particular vinicular dates back to 1911. Seeing the machinery, I still trust it.

I decided to head to the shoreline and walk along the shore for awhile. I really can't get next to the ocean at this point. This portion of the coast is all part of the Chilean Navy yard.

I'm not really seeing anything attractive about Valparaiso, so I continue my walk looking for something interesting. I'm finding that a bit of the challenge.

Valparaiso has all the signs of once being a bustling city, but now all I see is remants of it's hayday. Nice architecture here and there, but all showing signs of disrepair and neglect. One such building is the Teatro Imperio.  I didn't take notice of the date it was built, but definitely way past it's prime and not being maintained. In a state of extreme decay.

The inside of the teatro is now used as a flee market of sorts with many vendors selling their wares. It's all kind of sad. Some communities take pride in preserving their past. Others not so much. Not to be too judgemental. It takes money to preserve the past. That money apparently is not available in Valparaiso.

Newer buildings facades streaked and stained with water stained. Many closed and abandoned store fronts.

A friend asked yesterday about graffiti. Yes, there is a lot of graffiti. Not unexpected in a city in decline.

There is also about an equal number of beautiful murals. The murals here though are much less tied to history, More cartoony.

As I came back to the cities main square, I say this magnificent tree. The single base must have been 4 to 5 feet in diameter with its branches and leaves covering most of this city block.

I then decided to take a peak inside the cities catedral. (Cities typically have an abundance of iglesias (churches) but only one is designated as the catedral (cathedral).

The catedral was not the most elaborate I have seen, actually a bit plain. I did notice this one statue that caught my eye. Celebrating the churches attachment to conflict. You decdide whether it is defence or exploitation.

After the catedral, I continued my walk. Finally I came across a couple of museums. One in the underground dungeon of the more sophisitcated upper museum.

The underground museum display more contemporay art. A few installations in fabric and other material. Photograph, prints and carvings.

The upper museum, The Galeria Municipal de Arte, had a very interesting floor tile pattern. It also had a very ornate stair railing, but I haven't include a picture of that here.

It was more education geared toward students with displays of skeletal remain of sea creatures, skulls of various large mammals, stuffed birds and displays illustrating the expeditions of early explorers.

By now my legs are crying out for relief. Although it is earlier than I usually stop for lunch. My legs won the debate and I found a small cantina that had a fixed menu for an affordable price. The most important part, inside seating. Legs are happy. Today's menu was for stewed chicken, very tasty and tender. The meat almost fell off the bones. Included to top it off was a small serving of flan. I love flan.

My legs alto thank the vinicular that shave a couple hundres steps from my accent to hostel. This is a view of the last alleyway before entering the gate to hostel. (the white signe). Only the 100 steps between the vinicular and my hostel and the 14 or 15 steps up to the second floor to flop onto my bed for, quess what, yes, siesta time.