Valparaiso - Funicular City

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For a long time – before the age of the Internet – Valparaiso had intrigued me. Not so much because the history, culture, or architecture. No, it was the exotic name I had seen written as the home port of ships every now and then, and I had no idea where it was located. Not intriguing enough to make me find an atlas and look it up, but sufficient to lodge itself somewhere in the back of my mind. So, when the opportunity presented itself, naturally I couldn’t resist a visit.



Even on the bus from Santiago I knew little of the place. Various sources suggested it was well worth a visit. A UNESCO world heritage site; but what isn’t nowadays? Beautiful, colorful, cultural, vibrant. At first sight it was nothing like that.



Stepping out from the bus terminal I was starting to wonder if I was in the right place. Dirty, grey, sleepy streets, with none of the splendor promised by friends and guidebooks. Where was the party? Where were the people? Where were the colors? Then I figured it out.



The trick in Valpo is to go up. Up the hills, away from the sea. And the means of transport is part of the charm of the place. A unique system of funicular railways – Ascensores – takes passengers up and down the different levels of the city. In little more than a wooden box pulled along an alarmingly steep railway, it’s something between an elevator and an ancient. Today most of them are inactive, but in the heyday they constituted an efficient system of transporting people from one neighborhood to another.



Once up above the city I’m starting to see what the fuss is all about. Houses in bright colors. Peace and quiet. Unspoiled by mass tourism. It’s steep, photos can’t quite capture the vertical impressiveness of it. One house painted in bright yellow reminds me of Villa Villerkulla; you know, Pippi Longstocking’s house. Makes me think that this is a timeless place, where you can preserve your inner child, and design and paint your house any way you like.



Down again at sea level, I accept the next challenge; to figure out the system of the Micros. While here, it would be a shame not to visit Viña del Mar. A complete contrast to the cultural and slow-going Valparaiso, Viña is the modern beach town, the happening place. But back to the Micros. Micros are mini-buses doing loops within the city (and sometimes beyond), picking people up, letting people off. More flexible and numerous than regular buses, they serve the city with a well-functioning public transport system. No time-tables, no official bus stops, making it a tad difficult for a first-timer.



Asking around helps to some extent, but soon I realize that I will just have to take the plunge. The worst thing that can happen is that I end up at the same place where I started, probably, at some point. Obviously that’s not quite true; a number of other unmentionable things could happen, but sometimes you just have to get in at the deep end. Having waited out one or possibly two of these vans, I finally get on. The driver grunts something somewhat affirmative when I ask in rusty Spanish if this is the right Micro to Viña. And lo and behold, about quarter of an hour later I’m sitting on the beach taking in the afternoon sun.



The first sight of Valparaiso did not make a big mark, but clearly it’s one of those places that grow on you. Maybe not the most outstanding of cities, but definitely one I’m happy to now be able to put on a map.

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