Vina del Mar (and a little Valpo)

We just got back from an amazing weekend at the beach in Vina del Mar!  I know alot of you are experiencing snow right now, so there will be some bragging in this post :)  In a couple weeks the roles will be reversed and you can all brag about your amazing spring/summer in the US (though I will be enjoying the slopes of the Andes then, so brag away!).

Vina del Mar, the vineyard by the sea, is about 85 miles northwest of Santiago (for Houston and Haviland's geography lesson this week - can you find us?).  On the way there, you pass through the Casablanca Valley where they produce both wine and olive oil.  This is the white wine region of Chile known for producing many Sauvignon Blancs.  We didn't stop for a tour, but driving through was some of the most beautiful countryside we have seen thus far.

In Vina, we stayed at a great little hotel, B&B Casa del Sol.  It was the perfect retreat for the weekend, though next time we will probably go cheaper!  The hotel was located about 2 blocks from the beach, on top of one of the many hills of the area.  It was a bit of a walk to the "downtown" part of Vina, but allowed for some great exercise every day!

I was a tad disappointed with the seafood in Vina.  All week I talked about what we were gonna eat when we got there, but our meals were a little disappointing.  Stephen thinks my sights were set too high, but it's the beach!  It should be amazing anywhere, right?  Needless to say, we will be back...and we will find the good stuff!

About the only touristy thing to see in Vina (other than the beaches) is the Reloj de Flores.  It is a clock made out of flowers and is actually really beautiful (see Stephen's attempt at humor :)).

Saturday night we decided we were going to forgo the trip to Valpo that we had planned for Sunday and just rent bikes and ride around Vina some more.  We decided to try a different direction though and ended up in Valpo anyways!  It was a great surprise and there was a nice bike trail along the beach which made for a good day.  About halfway through our ride, we came upon seals and sea lions sunning on a rock.  I was obsessed and took about a million pictures.  We saw multiple seals try and jump back on the rock after falling off or jumping in the ocean.  It was humorous!  See a few of the pics below.

Although the beaches were stunning and the weather was gorgeous (yes, be jealous)...the water was FREEZING!  As this was my 1st time at the Pacific, I had to at least stick a toe in. Well, as you can see below, I ran away from it as soon as the water touched me!  It was definitely not the ocean I am used to...it was even colder than the Cape in May.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend at the beach and a destination I am sure we will come back to many times!

As always, we love hearing back from all of you and hope this finds you well.

Much love,
Steph and Stephen