A birthday toast in Valdivia

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Valdivia doesn't get that many foreign visitors compared to other locations in Chile but we thought it was a great spot. It is a university town and has that good vibe feel that students bring to a place. Instead of swiftly passing through as planned, we settled in for a few days, deciding to celebrate James' birthday amongst those good vibes.

The thing that sets Valdivia apart from other towns with the standard church-plaza combo is its riverside fish market. Which sounds boring and smelly. It was anything but boring (although slightly smelly). Sea lions, pelicans and a whole gang of other birds hang out there, waiting to be thrown scraps of fish. As the fish are being filleted and prepared for sale, the vendors would throw the bones, skin and guts into bins behind them, occasionally missing on purpose to a flurry of feathers.

Admirably lazy, the sea lions were big and blubbery, like aquatic sumo wrestlers. It would have to be a decent lump of fish to warrant them leaving their sun loungers (actually a wooden platform) and making the effort of diving into the river. However, the sea lions weren't great at looking after themselves, their black rubbery skin was covered in scars and there was a serious lack of dental hygiene. Good job its whats on the inside that counts.

The short bus ride from Valdivia towards the coastal town of Niebla took us to the ruins of an old Spanish fort. It felt like a million miles away from Valdivia's youthful bustle - the view across the bay to the ocean plus the sound of the sea below made for a relaxing outing. (Although I do think that as James was gazing out to sea he was secretly on the look out for a pirate ship on the horizon.)

Because we had been appreciating the top quality produce of Chilean vines since arriving in Chile, it had been a while since we had drank beer. What better day to visit a brewery than on James' birthday! The bus back to Valdivia from Niebla stopped right outside the Cerveceria Kunstmann and we just could not pass it by.

As the name Kunstmann suggests, it is originally a German brewery - a nation that know how to make a good beer. I had known that there had been a wave of German immigration into Chile but had wrongly assumed it occurred after World War II (Nazis avoiding trials in Nuremberg, I supposed). In fact, German families first arrived in Chile way back in the 1800s.

We sampled a selection of the Kunstmann brews before ordering a column of the bock, a black beer which tastes more like a bitter than stout. Perfect accompaniment to James´ hearty German sausage dish. Prost!

After experiencing a slice of Spain and a taste of Germany, it was time to return to Chile and head back to Valdivia. A walk along the main street from the plaza soon revealed where Chileans hang out after dark. Despite being a world renown wine producing country, Chileans are beer drinkers at heart. And so we finished off the final few hours of James' birthday Chilean style - in a diner-type bar with a jukebox (which played our favourite Marco Antonio Solis song) and a jug of cold beer. Salud!

From Jess

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Comments

[Gay Hoban]

Salutations
Belated Happy Birthday to both of you. A very appealing description. xx P.S. Well done Stoke City, disposing of Arsenal yesterday. Did you catch it?

[Joy]

Valdivia
Travelling is very hard work especially blending in with the locals. You just have to drink the local wine or beer-wouldn't be polite not too. Having said that,James birthday seems like yesterday when blog arrived but the date 10th Dec rings a bell. I know .It's just like Dr Who-you're in a different time dimension ! Only kidding.I know you've had some tedious long bus trips and few internet cafes. Glad you're both enjoying life,blogs are great and love photos.Like the beard James . Love to you both,take care x x x