For the past 10 months Curare has had the opportunity to be moored 7 km from the city of Valdivia in southern Chile. Now it is almost time to leave and I realize that we have never written anything about this place we have called home for almost a year. Although in many of our earlier posts we have mentioned events and places of interest we have never really written about the city - so this is it (better late than not at all).
Valdivia, the City of Rivers, was founded on the Bahía de Corral by Pedro de Valdivia on February 9, 1522. This was a strategic, and relatively safe, location for ships rounding Cape Horn on their way to the gold of Peru and it was an enviable asset of the Spanish Crown. It became known as La Perla del Sur and even today is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Chile.
To protect Valdivia and it's river Spanish forces began building forts in 1645 and soon Valdivia was the most heavily fortified port in the Spanish colonies. The five forts overlooking the Pacific have been partially reconstructed and are now tourists attractions but within the city all that remain of the defensive fortifications are two towers, known as Los Torreones, part of a former city wall.
Even after Chile separated from Peru and attained independence from Spain, this area of Chile remained loyal to the Spanish crown. It took a surprise attack from Lord Cochrane and the Chilean navy to conquer the city and formally annex it to Chile in 1821. Since October 2007, Valdivia has been the capital of the newly created Los Ríos Region, a holiday destination.
The best place to take a photo of the city, and one that is heavily used during the summer months, is from the sidewalks on the Pedro de Valdivia Bridge. This view is the one what most Chilenos would imagine when you mention Valdivia to them. The scene is used in most tourist literature and advertising billboards throughout the country. From the bridge the Feria Fluvial (Riverside market) is clearly seen at the river's 
edge with noisy fisher folks cleaning their daily catch and throwing fish scraps to the immense sea lions (Lobo de Mar) who use the market as a fast food restaurant. In front of the fish market are the tourist boats wanting to take your money (and you) down the river to have a look at the Pacific Ocean, leaving with clockwork timing at 3:00 P.M. each and every day. South of the fish market is a glass and wooden tower containing a Foucault's pendulum, one of only four in South America. 
The shady Plaza de Republica, in the center of town, is overlooked by the spire of the modern cathedral, and on the east end of the bridge (just out of view to the left) is the modern, white, high-rise, hotel and casino.
Valdivia has several public and private schools and universities, the largest and 
oldest is the Universidad Austral de Chile (founded in 1954), with a shady campus located on Isla Teja. However the town also is home to Universidad Arturo Prat, Universidad San Sebastián, Universidad Santo Tomás and Universidad de Los Lagos; not bad for a city with a population of around 200,000.
During the summer months the Rio Valdivia and the Rio Calle Calle are the focal point of the city, crowded with rowing shells darting back and forth. Rowers have a choice of three rowing clubs and it is a serious sport, with good natured inter-club rivalry. In 2002, at the world championship in Seville, Spain, a team from Valdivia won first place in Men's Pair-Oared Shells. Sadly sailing is not a major Valdivian pastime, despite the International Pirata sailing regatta which was held here in January 2012 and the lovely marina Estancilla where Curare has stayed for the past 10 months.
In the latter part of the 19th century, an influx of German emigrants moved to the area during a national immigration program and in many ways this is a German town. Everywhere you look you see German faces, German signboards and placards are arranged alongside the Spanish, and there is an abundance of old style German architecture. There is a large German school (Instituto Alemán Carlos 
Anwandter founded in 1858), a German speaking church, and, of course, breweries. The first German style brewery was founded by Karl Anwandter in 1851 and continually produced beer until 1960 when the famous earthquake destroyed the buildings. That brewery did not rebuild, but a new one named Kunstmann was established using the same German brewing concepts. Today this beer is internationally known for it's taste, body and colour, and during the short Chilean summer it was a tasty brew to cool your throat.
On May 22, 1960, south-central Chile suffered the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, rating 9.5 on the Richter scale. Valdivia suffered extensive damage and land subsidence makes navigating the local rivers hazardous, with some submerged 
buildings and walls adjacent to the marked channels. Nearly 40% of the city's buildings were destroyed and 20,000 people became homeless during the night. To put this into perspective the Japan earthquake of March 2011 rated 9.0 on the Richter scale and the devastating Indonesian earthquake of December 24, 2004 ranged between 9.1 to 9.3.
Valdivia has many excellent grocery stores (just like at home), several small hardware stores where you have to ask for items over a counter (we do not always get what we want), one Home Depot like store named Sodimac where you can take items from the shelves by yourself (easier but not as well stocked as
the smaller places), at least three department stores for clothing and other items, a mall (complete with a movie theater and food court), numerous banks and restaurants, and of course McDonalds. It has been relatively easy living here but after 10 months we are looking forward to discovering the next place.
