Valparaiso

Valparaíso, situated on the coast one and a half hours away from Santiago by bus, has been described as "a Venice waiting to be discovered". The city prospered in the 19th century when it was used by commercial agents from Europe and the US as their trading base in the southern Pacific and became a major international banking centre as well as the key port for US shipping between the East Coast and California (especially during the gold rush). It underwent a decline due to the development of steam ships, the opening of the US trans-continental raliway and then the Panama Canal in 1914 and finally the shift of banks to Santiago. The city is now being revived and work is underway to renovate the historical centre and museums and to build new galleries - it is officially the Cultural Capital of Chile, an important naval base and also the seat of the Chilean parliament. Being so close, I decided to come here for a couple of days.