San Antonio to Santiago + Valparaiso sightseeing

Visiting Valparaíso is a great experience! It's not only Chile's main port, but in the 19th century it was the most important one in South America! Sailors actually called it "the jewel of the pacific". But how about the name Valparaiso? After crossing the "Cabo de Hornos", the Strait of Magallanes &"Drakes passage", since it felt like arriving to Paradise, sailors used to joke saying "Va al Paraíso" (going to paradise). Back then many Europeans from England, Germany, Italy, Croatia, France, etc arrived attracted by commercial opportunities. This is the reason behind the city's outstanding European architecture. Valparaiso wasn't founded, it literally grew for more than 250 years before its commercial boom! A prove of that is the city's narrow, curve and steep stoned streets climbing the hills, before the stairs & funiculars appeared. Valparaíso & Viña Del Mar are very special to me because my father's family lived many years in Valparaiso after arriving from Croatia, until they moved to Viña del Mar.