Our first day in Chile started after a very short night’s sleep. Jet lag and not enough sleep kept us fairly exhausted for the next week our so. Dinner is eaten late in South American and touring days start early. After a morning lecture about the history of agriculture and winemaking in Chile, we were heading to Valparaiso for the day to visit the historic city center which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A funicular ride took us up the hill to the old city where a warren of streets and cobblestone alleyways greeted us. There was street art everywhere and I was in my happy place.
The town was fully of tourists and vendors since this is the high tourist season in South America. There were artists and musicians and even a little marionette show.
Valparaiso is an important seaport with ships of all types docking here including cruise ships. The view from the historic city was striking.
After lunch, we were back on the bus heading to the Casas del Bosque, a sustainable winery in the Casablanca Valley. We toured the vineyards, learned about their wine making process and ended with a generous wine tasting. The wines were quite good and we enjoyed the tour. I was surprised to learn that Chile has been producing wine for over 480 years!
When we returned, Brian and I ate a dinner on our own in the hotel cafe and called it a night.
The Macs’ Big Adventure 