Valentine´s Day in Valparaiso : What a Mistake to Make

view of the port
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Get the violins out, I am about to tell you something which is sad and that I am totally ashamed of. I was alone on Valentine´s Day. If that isn´t enough to make me want to slit my wrists I had to share this emotion with about a million Chilean couples who at the best of times, kiss and canoodle like there is no tomorrow. Also, the place is really romantic anyway so you can imagine the looks of pity / aggression / confusion that I got. I felt like a tanned version of Bridget Jones.

Enough of that rubbish. All I have to say is that Valparaiso is once again, amazing and unlike anywhere else I have been. It is a city of hills and a port town. The main characteristics of the town are the lifts to the top of the hills and the multi-coloured art deco styled buildings.

I felt like a tanned version of Bridget Jones.

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The first hill that I went to was Cerro Bellavista. I went there principally for Pablo Neruda´s second house, La Sebastiana. Suffice to say that, yes it is beautiful and has great views of the port. I preferred La Chascona though.

From there, I went to the Museo al Cielo Abierto which translates as the Open Air Museum. This consisted of a couple of streets in which various artists had painted the walls. I am no expert and I don´t know the exact name but you get the point. See the photos and you will see what I mean.

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I also visited Cerro Alegre and Cerro Constitition which are the two other main tourist areas. I have to think of another word for amazing / beautiful/ stunning as it´s getting boring using the same words. The hills are famous for the typical style of architecture. The area is also very heavily English influenced. You can tell as well because some of the houses reminded me of the walk down to Portobello Market in Notting Hill.

The photos really say it all and I am feeling very tired - drained, in fact - from a hard day by the pool. I will leave you with that thought.

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Check out my website www.justgiving.com/ciccia if you have a sudden attack of generosity and you feel like supporting something other than a capitalist institution.