Santiago de Chile | Valparaíso
Chile has the most amazing, laid-back vibe. I could have happily spent a month here. We explored the capital, Santiago, as well as the street art capital, Valparaíso
Santiago de Chile
I went with my husband and son as part of a Fund for Teachers fellowship I proposed in 2023. Santiago is the colorful capital city of Chile, nestled in the valley of the Andes Mountains and boasts great cultural sites, such as the Cerro San Cristobal in the Parque Metropolitano. My favorite part of this park wasn’t the cool cable car or the mountain train but the Camino de las Siete Palabras (Way of the 7 Words), a path with 7 crosses, each featuring one of the 7 things Jesus said while on the cross. It ended at a prayer garden and church at the very top of the hill overlooking the city.
Cerro San Cristobal in the Metropolitan Park and the Camino de las Siete Palabras (Way of the 7 Words)
In the park, you can ascend the hilltop by cable car and descend by funicular (mountain train), like we did, or do the opposite. There are online tickets, but you can also visit ticket booths once you get there. There are hiking trails, as well as cafes and shops at the top; there’s even a zoo on the second level.
Valparaíso
We stayed in Santiago but did a day trip to Valparaíso. Jeff got sick that day, so Zac and I learned to use the public bus system. It was so easy! We rode a nice bus to Valparaíso’s bus depot, but once there, we had to take the town’s smaller (sketchier, if I can say that) bus to the town square. There was a market that day, and after a quick peek at artisan goods, we found the funicular, or mountain elevator, we needed to get to the top of Cerro Alegre, which overlooked the Pacific.
The Traveling Teacher 