August 20: Geographical Inspirations by Nicole

La bienvenida a Chile! Welcome to Chile! What an amazing country. Everywhere you looked there was inspiration. We are talking geography, history, art, food, wine, craft beer, roaming street dogs, architecture, glamping, and it continues to go on and on. I was able to capture some of these lovely inspirations and use them for background images throughout this site. So take a closer look. ; )

You are probably wondering how on earth did they pick Chile for their honeymoon? Truth: I saw a gorgeous picture of Torres del Paine National Park (pictured above) on a Yahoo travel article. It was an instant attraction that turned out to be a spectacular and life changing experience. Torres del Paine National Park is located in Chile's Patagonia region and is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen, not to mention there is something romantic about being on the edge of civilization with the person you love.

While looking forward to experiencing Patagonia, our travels to Chile started with landing in Santiago and immediately traveling to Valparaiso, an old port town that once was the mecca for transporting goods. It was full of wealth and vibrance and then the Panama Canal was built leaving Valpo nearly abandoned. Well, now it is making a comeback. Valpo is so full of history and old colorful and ornate architecture mixed with rooftop bars, craft breweries, boutique hotels, and unique geography similar to San Francisco. The food, the beer, the wine, the street art, the architecture are all up and coming and revitalizing this stunning port town into a place where artists can flourish. If you decide to go to Chile, I hope you visit this amazing town and are able to enjoy their story and what they are striving to be. For me, the inspiration was about resilience and expressing emotions through different mediums. My hope for Valpo is that they reach the happiness they are striving for and continue to embrace artists and their craft.

Next stop, Casablanca wine valley about an hour away from Valparaiso and Santiago. It is a lovely valley with a few different types of wineries. Unfortunately for us, we didn't do our homework beforehand and started our self-guided tour a little late. The few that we went to are Emiliana Organic Winery (pictured above) and Casas del Bosque. Casas del Bosque has a lovely restaurant and grounds and is one of the more well-known and larger wineries. We tried several wines, all were decent but the whites really stuck out from the group. We recommend trying their Sauvignon Blanc. With having a nice experience at Casas, we were very excited to explore an organic winery. As you drive up Emiliana's long dirt driveway, you are welcomed by lots of animals. We were so confused at first because there were chickens, alpacas, llamas, cows, and more animals greeting us. It turns out they all help and play a role in the organic wine-making process. Once we went inside the winery, we were greeted with chocolates and cheese and the wines were fantastic. Luckily for us in the US, Emiliana sells a few of their wines in our grocery and liquor stores but if you get a chance, visit the winery. After exploring the Casablanca wine valley, I left with a renewed inspiration to love and embrace nature and it's quietness. Especially coming from the digital and ad world, I believe people can get lost in their work and forget to take a quiet moment and just reflect and enjoy what they have created.

After having a wonderful time in Valpo and the Casablanca wine valley, we finally made it to Patagonia! We got to experience glamping (glamour camping) in a yurt, walking with penguins, riding on a boat crushing icebergs (pictured above), hiking mountains with amazing wildlife, eating delicious wild berries while drinking craft beer, and enjoying some of the most amazing food and wine. If I could rank all the recommendations, this is the winner. The amount of elegance and natural beauty this region holds is incredible. It is the perfect escape and I really hope it never changes. You know a place is special when it can inspire you exponentially. I was this person who just got married and was on this incredible high already but this place made me feel like I was floating in the cleanest air without a care in the world. If you get a chance to visit Patagonia and especially Torres del Paine National Park, I hope it inspires you like it has me.

After leaving one of the most incredible places on earth, we headed back to Santiago for a few days before heading home. Santiago is a really large city with a large mix of architecture and some unique quirks. With the size of the city being a bit intimidating, we decided to take a very cool walking tour (Wally Walking Tour) to learn more and figure out how to navigate the various neighborhoods. On the tour, I made a doggy friend who is taken care of by the entire community. Various people feed him. In the winter, people make him clothes. He really was the sweetest and largest walking companion. I was so proud of Santiago when I learned the community took care of this sweetie. Along the tour, we learned Santiago has an earthquake problem, which is why the buildings look very different from each other. A new style of building tends to be built in its place. I believe we literally saw an old castle-like structure next to a building that looked like it had a Bauhaus influence. Next we learned, if someone asks you "want to go to the park", that isn't to just go enjoy a cup of coffee, wink wink. Also, a coffee house isn't exactly a typical coffee shop. It is more like a bar known to have girls with legs. Back in the day, Chile wasn't big on consuming coffee so they wanted to find a way to advertise and get people interested. They succeeded. The store fronts are blurred all the way until you can see the ladies' legs from the outside. Now coffee is quite popular. Go figure. Our guide thought we should know Bill Clinton was a well-known visitor. With all the interesting quirks, the inspiration I got from Santiago was to do your best to keep an open mind and help others when you can whether it is people or animals.

I hope you enjoyed this article about being inspired from traveling throughout Chile. It trully was a great experience. Next up, I'll be writing about how creativity and sharing your voice can make a difference and raise awareness. Stay tuned!