You really have to be in good shape to walk the streets of Valparaiso (or at least bring your inhaler- it’ll save you a trip to the hospital). Each block is compiled of steep hills which is why it is a comparable image to San Francisco. Aside from the vertical inclines, the bohemian town is known for its intense graffiti artwork. Every stone wall, gate, and building is saturated with beautiful graffiti; it’s all over. It definitely wasn’t the type of graffiti you would picture in Harlem or East Saint Louis, but rather the graffiti I would purchase for my apartment (if that’s even possible?). It made me realize the creativity and underrated aspects of graffiti. It was purely beautiful.
My Dad’s friend, John, has a daughter, Laura, who studied her junior year abroad in Valparaiso. Post college, she decided to teach English there. We met up with her and she showed us around town. If you’re a tourist and you don’t have a guide or detailed map, then invest in a GPS. Each cobblestone street intersects with thousands of other cobblestone streets…I’m good with directions, and Valparaiso was beyond my directional-intellectual capacity. Too confusing. The city is routed similar to a maze minus the corn stalks. After walking around for several hours, we realized the streets are designed in a large, intertwined circle. Overall= get a GPS.
After splitting with Laura, we packed our backpacks and bussed to the most heavenly place of life: Ritoque…
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