Valparaiso, Chile
It was a bit strange being at sea during the holiday season. I love the lead up to Christmas – decorating the house, wrapping presents etc. I was so appreciative that the entertainers on boat put together a holiday show. They took all the talent from all of the shows and put together a kind of Christmas spectacular on the final night of the cruise. The kids from Fun Factory wore antlers, painted their noses red and joined in singing Feliz Navidad for the finale. The Officers of the ship also held an event during which they gathered in the grand hall of the ship and sang Christmas carols. We grabbed a table at the ice covered martini bar overlooking the hall and enjoyed some holiday spirits. The pastry chefs also created an entire gingerbread town that the kids couldn’t get enough of.
We disembarked in Valparaiso, Chile early on the morning of the 22nd of December. We bade farewell to Lowell’s parents and the remaining 8 of us took a tour of the area working our way to Santiago. Valparaiso is a World Heritage site due to its improvised urban design and architecture. There are dozens of funicular elevators scattered around the city to help the residents deal with the steep cliffs that the city is situated upon. Spanish explorers arrived in Valparaiso in 1536 and it has been an important port ever since. It is still known for being a bit rough with plenty of bars, drugs and prostitution. It was packed with personality I loved touring the city streets.
Next stop was Vino Del Mar the main beach destination for residents of the capital city of Santiago. It was lovely but after visiting Valparaiso it seemed a bit dull lacking identity.
I have always loved Chilean wines so I was very happy that we were able to visit a vineyard on the way to Santiago to try some carmenere. We stocked up on a few too many bottles, kind of challenge to see how much wine we could drink in one week. The driver than took us to a typical Chilean roadhouse restaurant where I enjoyed probably the BEST steak I’ve ever eaten. The restaurant was humble with dirt floors and a thatched roof but man what they did to that carne asada! That and a pisco sour and we were on our way.
There is a bit of a rivalry between Peru and Chile regarding where the Pisco Sour originated and which country makes the best. In addition to the pisco liquor, Perurvians add key lime juice, syrup, egg whites and biters. Chileans make a cleaner version omitting the bitters and egg whites. I read that it was a point of contention between the two countries but had no idea to what degree until after the wine tasting and piscos at lunch April decided to ask our driver which country actually makes the best version. The driver literally pulled over, stopped the car and removed April from the front seat. After much back pedaling and apologizing she was readmitted and we were on our way to Santiago.
We stay at Marriott hotels quite frequently so when we checked into the hotel in Santiago we were given upgraded rooms with spectacular city and mountain views. Our room was a suite, but rather than an extra bedroom; our extra room was a full on conference room. It seemed bit ridiculous and not too practical upon first glance, but it worked out so well when we put the kids toys in there and they could hang out/mess it up/watch TV all on their own. This along with access to the executive lounge, it was good living for all of us.