… but not just any box of crayons. This box is definitely special: well-worn until the cardboard is soft and pliable, the bottom littered with a rainbow of illustrious shavings, and crammed full of various colors, shapes and sizes, some that didn’t even come with the set, some broken and/or chewed on, possibly. But it is loved by so many – and for that reason alone these crayons would never be tossed aside. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” – this seems to be the motto of this whimsical city.
That’s just the image that kept flashing through my head. Odd? Perhaps. But if you visit, I think you might agree.
This is Valparaíso. The final home to the great Pablo Neruda, who came to escape the “tiredness of Santiago.” A city that dons so many hats per day that it is almost impossible to think of it as a single entity: an artist’s haven, a tourist must-see, a quiet place to settle down among the rolling hills and far-reaching sea views, a bustling and growing downtown where skyscapers compete with yogurt-colored houses for attention, a place to either bring your “pololo” to the beaches and muralled stairways, or leave them behind as the darkening streets are illuminated by its infamous night-life.
And the stray dogs seem to run these streets. Not surprising that I loved this city from the minute we pulled in.
I don’t have much to say right now because I only was able to spend a few hours in the city today. I’m hoping to be back soon– and then I will have more to write about on this exceedingly beautiful and unique city on the coast.
Eye Spy 