Valparaíso - Warhol´s Town

Valparaíso, the Valley of Paradise sounds for every traveler alluring. A place to rest for awhile and charge the batteries. Actually this was really the main target of the crew of hundreds of ships, which stopped here on their way to Americas West Coast. After the opening of the Panama Canal however the town lost its importance, what was for the economy a bad happening, but for the heritage a very good one. Today Valparaíso with its unique wooden architecture of the old town draws travelers again. I came to town on a dark windy Sunday morning and when I walked through the empty streets of the port area I could not really understand the hype. One of the old rattling elevators took me up to Cerro Conception, one of the many hills of town. Up here the crumbling old wooden houses greeted me, but the damp weather didn’t make them very attractive. After a couple of minutes I knocked the door of my guesthouse. It was time for a rest. When the sun kissed my face I slowly woke up and was ready for a walk. As usual on the coast the weather could change from hour to hour and when I opened the door of the guesthouse, the sky was wonderfully clear and the sun warmed the facades of the houses. Forgotten was the impression of some hours before, as this town actually was really unique. It was an open air pop-art museum, where I expected to meet Andy Warhol seeking for inspiration at every street corner. The tawdriness of the houses, the steep hills and the blue sea, really just the signature of Warhol on the corner of the frame was missing.