Isla Negra

Today was a holiday for Jo and despite some icy cold rain, we decided to brave an hour and a half bus ride to Isla Negra and visit Pablo Neruda’s most famous residence. There we saw some amazing collections of art, nautical paraphernalia, including an incredible collection of ship head figurines, ships in bottles, art and artifacts from all over the world, a large portion of his legendary shell collection, preserved bugs and birds from the Amazon, and of course, the house its self, which has a splendid layout. In the same way that his home in Valparaiso represents the city of Valpo the House in Isla Negra is designed to reflect the length and diversity of Chile.

To build his houses, Neruda always looked for places related to natural stages or elements, such as the sea and its waves, the beach and the rocks in Isla Negra. In the poet’s words, “The Pacific Ocean overflowed the map. There was no place to put it. It was so big, unruly and blue that it fit nowhere. That’s why they left it in front of my window”. Isla Negra is also where his tomb lies. “Comrades, bury me in Isla Negra/ in front of the sea I know, of every sand rugged with stones/ and with waves my lost eyes/ will not see again…”

We also enjoyed a nice lunch in the adjacent restaurant where we enjoyed some great seafood and charming atmosphere. It was a great way to close out the afternoon. We took lots of great pics outside and on the beach below. The waves today were incredible!