In search of America...

8- 12 February: Now without a home, we book a beautiful loft in Valparaiso, with incredible views of the hilly city! Quite some schoolwork to catch up with, after those busy days enjoying La Serena.

But, once the studying is finished in the mornings, we use the afternoons to explore the colorful city by foot.

Walking uphill, sliding downhill, we explore many of the Cerros with our little walkers.

Like us, the kids are fascinated by the wonderful murals; and the originality of the place keep them pretty much always enthusiastic to climb a new hill.

Even the garbage trucks come in many colorful versions!

After another good climb, at the top of the Cerro Bellavista, we go for a visit to la Sebastiana, the house of Pablo Neruda in Valparaiso.

We get to explore its interior, and enjoy the view of the bay that inspired the engaged poet.

We spend our last day on the Cerro Artilleria, where we enjoy the incredible lookout on the harbor and the maritime museum. The Ascensor Artilleria brings a crowd of people on top of the hill while we avoid the queue and take the stairs.

The visit to the museum is definitely worth a climb up, with plenty of objects to retrace the agitated history of Chile and some fun parts for the kids to enjoy. We head to Argentina the next day by bus, but Valparaiso, classified since 2003 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will stay in our memories as a vibrant and splendid city, that even Sebastien managed to enjoy!