Weekend on the coast

This weekend, we took off to the coast and finally got out of the city. Jess' mom was able to come down for a visit this week and we had a great time. We went to Valparasio, Vina del Mar and traveled up the coast to find some beaches.. and a hotel but that's a different story. We found this great local beach where we were the whitest people for miles. The water was FREEZING! This candid pic was taken after we tried to brave the ocean.

Valparaiso is a funky little port town.. well, not too little. It is Chile's 2nd largest city. Houses are piled on top of each other and there is no flat land. There are super steep streets and stairways. There are also these fancy little contraptions scattered though the city. They are 'ascensors' or elevators that were created in the 20's to move people and cargo up these ridiculous inclines. Yes, we took them and yes, we feared for our lives.

After we survived the ascensor, we celebrated by eating at this restaurant with an amazing view. We had some delicious and fresh seafood while recuperating from the death hills. To find out more about Valpo and see more pics of the city, click here.

What's a summer day at the beach without ice cream? We chowed down this treat along with 2 million other visitors in Vina. After this bite, Jessica dropped the cone on her lap... typical.