Valparaíso is a jumble of colorful clapboard and victorian homes, funky surprises, and twisting stairways. It's a port plus 42 steep hills, many of which are equipped with funiculars (something like an elevator on a diagonal) built a century ago. The fact that there was never a city plan is quite obvious. We had a fabulous time yesterday losing ourselves in the city's streets and tasting its delights. 
We also watched The House of the Spirits, the movie based on Isabel Allende's book. It's fiction, but tells the story of the 20th century in Chile at the same time. Isabel Allende is the niece of Salvador Allende, the world's first democratically elected Marxist president. He was assasinated in a coup in 1973, 3 years into his presidency. The movie told that story as well as others. It was interesting to watch from here, not only for the politics but for the cultural pictures as well.
