Tag: <span>architecture</span>


Walking through the neighborhoods of Valparaíso, Chile is like a look at centuries of European architecture painted in a rainbow of hues and graffitied everywhere in between. Until the Panama Canal sliced through Latin America in 1914, this central Chilean city was the most important port town on the Pacific–with every powerful country looking to set up shop on its shores. French, Germans, English, you name it, built here in their own style but today the Chileans have reclaimed the “Jewel of the Pacific” with a flair that’s irresistibly its own.

 

Valparaiso port
Port life is still central to the culture of Valparaíso, with boats pulling in fresh fish for some of the best seafood in Chile.

 

architecture tours
Plaza Sotomayor holds some of the grandest buildings in town including the British-built Queen Victoria Hotel, the American Fire Company, and the Chilean Naval Command Building–quiet the cultural mix.

 

valparaiso travel
Though originally for the working folk, today’s real heart of the town is the neighborhoods stacked up the hill.

 

valparaiso travel ideas
There are few funiculars to get people up the hill in a hurry, but the hundreds of staircases are what really connect uptown and downtown.

 

Valparaiso architecture
Grand houses like this German-style chalet neighbor with French Mansard mansions, make walking tours (we took a great one with “Tours for Tips”) a design feast.

 

valparaiso architecture
Though if we had to pick one signature style, that is pure Valpo, it would have to be these corrugated-metal cuties. The working class would bring this excess shipping material home from the docks to build homes on the cheap. With so many houses made out of scrap metal you would think the city would look like a shanty town but with a bright coat of paint and scalloped trim, it’s resourcefully charming.

 

Valparaiso lady of injustice
If you ever stroll by the Valparaíso courthouse, make sure to give this “Lady of Justice” a closer look. As the story goes, when a Frenchman slept with the wife of the Chilean judge, he was expelled from the country. For revenge, the Frenchman sent this statue of a lady with her scales in a knot and sword sloppily at her side, but it wasn’t until decades later when someone recognized the irony of this prominently displayed art. So embarrassed the town didn’t want to admit their naiveté–instead they explained the Lady of Injustice’s presence outside the court as a contrasting reminder of the fairness within.

 

valpariso architecture tours
In the early 20th-century, Valparaíso slipped into decline and until the 1990s, drug dealers had their run of even the nicest part of town. This former mansion was looted for its marble floors, gold fixtures and crystal chandeliers. Today safety in the neighborhood has been “mostly” restored but buildings like this serve as a reminder of their rough and tumble times.

 

Valpariso street art
Graffiti and bad neighborhoods usually go hand-in-hand but Valpo turned these scars on the town into a mark of pride. Instead of cracking down on taggers, the town decided to outshine them instead. They commissioned artists to cover the city’s walls with inspiring and insightful imagery that has stood the test of time (which in graffiti land is a few short months). Now the art goes well beyond the walls–even gutters get glorified like in the mosaic above.

 

valparaiso street art tours
Pushing the limits of the canvas, this artist uses stairs to paint a port scene and the storm drain for a its ocean reflection.

 

Valparaiso barsQuick Guide: Valparaíso

Walking Tour: Tours for Tips was such fun and so informative—a must do!
Unique Eats: Bijoux Restobar does not have a menu but a chef ready to satisfy your every craving. A truly unique dining experience.
Coffee House: Brighton Cafe is set in a charming cliff-side house for the best views in town.
Bar Scene: Sabor Calor is the chic source for creative cocktails.

For more views of Valparaíso, check out our around-the-world travel blog, HoneyTrek.com

Places

The honeymoon has begun! The first stop on our around-the-world journey has landed us in Manaus, Brazil, the heart of the Amazon. It’s a 2-million person city in the depths of the jungle that can only be accessed by plane or the only highway in town, the Amazon River.  Native Brazilians have obviously been living in the rainforest for centuries (more on jungle living later) but the Europeans that came flooding in during the late 1800s for its endless resources, namely the rubber trees, have given this town a very distinct character. The dream was to create “The Paris of the Amazon” with grand plazas, opera houses, and palaces and they succeeded… in their own quirky Amazonian way.

Here a look at Manaus nearly 90 years after the Rubber Boom, in new renaissance of sorts as they race  to revitalize the town before their debut as host of World Cup 2014.

Amazon architecture
Houses crowd around the Amazon river; the lifeblood of town.
mosaics of Manaus
The black and white waves of tiles in Sao Sabastiao Square symbolize the meeting of the Rio Negro and the milky waters of the Solimoes rivers that form the Amazon river, just north of Manaus. This is the original example of the design but the motif appears all over town.

 

Teatro Amazonas
The pride and joy of Manaus, the Amazonas Opera House was built in 1882 at the height of the Rubber Boom.
Sparing no expense, Italian designer Crispim do Amaral was commissioned to take on the 701-seat theater. Beyond the Venetian glass blown chandeliers and Rococo furniture shipped from France, he sent the local Brazilian wood across the ocean to be carved by the finest craftsman in Europe to ensure the theater had the best of the best.
The Provincial Palace is made of a bunch of different smaller museums like this rare coin museum. The loose change didn't interest me much but I loved the antique display tables and loads of light flooding the arched windows.
Loved this little corner of the Palace's private quarters for the trompe l'oeil walls and light and dark planks of wood...another nod to the meeting of the waters.
Beyond the museums and landmarks, Manaus' beauty is in a dilapidated state but that's half its charm.
design travel inspirationGrand Art Nouveau atriums and regal neoclassical buildings mix with thatch roof for a city full of contrasts.

With Manaus hosting the World Cup in 2014 they are trying to spiff things up with 21st century designs and achievements like the Manaus-Irandubua Bridge--the second longest river bridge in the world and quite the steel stunner at that.

Places

Switzerland travel ideasMike and I just had the privilege of visiting Switzerland (on our way to an amazing five-day wine tour through Burgundy, France–to be explained next blog; stay tuned) and were just completely charmed by the architecture. As an American, old European structures always seem impressive but set their old-world charm against some of the world’s biggest mountains and they elevate to breathtaking.

Here are some of the villages, cabins, flats, and chalets that had us wanting to employ a Swiss realtor.

swiss architecture
The Lucerne is the biggest city in central Switzerland but that didn’t detract from its utter charm.
architecture in lucerne
These gorgeous fresco-clad buildings were all over Lucerne. (I just learned that these stair-like roofs are called crow-stepped gables—love the name and the look!)

swiss cottage architecture
Once you get into the alps these cute rustic homes are the standard. Rough-cut lumber, vibrant shutters, and flower boxes at every window! (If anyone knows how the Swiss get their flowers to flourish in snowy conditions, please chime in!)
swiss cottage architecture
Little cottages and sheds like this would appear throughout mountainside, usually complete with their own waterfall.
Swiss wood-pile facades
When a woodshed won’t cut it, many of Alpine folk use the façade of their home as an all-encompassing lumber storage unit. Here, tightly packed logs become graphic ornamentation and the mark of an OCD resident.
As far as landscaping goes…we saw a farmer walk this herd through the streets of Mürren and just drop these brown cows off at the front yard of this house. Communal lawn mowers?
swiss town near-interlaken
Take the train anywhere near Interlaken and this will be your view: pristine towns, thick turquoise glacial lakes, and snow-capped mountains.
Switzerland-Engelberg
To get an even bigger taste of the mountains, we ascended Mount Titlus. Here is view from the gondola looking down to the town of Engelberg.
snowy swiss lake
A third of the way up to Mount Titlus we took a break to walk around Lake Trübsee. I’m not exactly sure what this dark wooden structure is for, but it added to the beautiful desolation of this odd way station.
Montreaux architecture
We spent most our time in mountain towns but we concluded our Swiss journey with a bit of pampering in Montreux. Set on Lake Geneva, this small city is said to be the heart of the Swiss Rivera with luxe hotels, cliff-side vacation homes, and vineyard chateaus.

Has anyone else been someplace amazing in Switzerland? I’m already dying to go back!

Places