I already mentioned that a big part of this first week was the beach! However, we did find time every day to walk around – in fact, the kids relished in getting 15,000-20,000 steps every day! Vina Del Mar was a lovely town to explore on foot.
As we have learned in the last decade+ with kids, playgrounds are always a must (free entertainment) – we find some on google maps, learn about must-sees through web searches, and always happen upon some of the best when we are just walking around. The playgrounds in Chile are stellar! Also, the kids enjoyed the fitness equipment set up ALL over the city – especially along the beach. It’s fun to watch our four interact and play games, and it’s also neat to watch them bring other kids into the fold – even when there are different languages – play is generally universal. All of the outdoor markets set up for the holidays were near a playground – how convenient! It’s a win-win all around 
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For this trip, my parents gave each of the kids (and us) some spending money as our Christmas gifts, so this meant that when a kid saw something they really wanted to do or buy – they had their own money (and freedom!) The first day in Vina, the boys spotted a guy who had go-carts to rent at one of the nearby playgrounds – they quickly decided this was worth spending their own money on. So, nearly every day – Jason took the boys down to the playground so they could rent a go-cart for 30 minutes and wheel around the park chasing Jason or each other – what great memories! It was fun to watch the kids pick out their own souvenirs and treats with control over their own money – bracelets, earrings, ice cream, stuffies, and more treasures!
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One of the things Vina Del Mar is known for is it’s Flower Clock 
– it’s a flower garden arranged in the shape of clock and it works! Our first full day, we set out to find this flower clock and explore the coastline. We enjoyed a lovely walk along the coast and happened upon a boat built into the rock wall that is now a restaurant and a castle (closed to public for many years). As can be expected, at some point one or two of the kids didn’t like how something was going and our lovely walk was halted (it was also sunnier and hotter than expected, so cheeks and shoulders were slowly turning pink). Maybe it was good that were enlightened early in the trip that it’s nearly impossible to keep 6 different humans on the same page at all times. Our solution (after much frustration) was to divide and conquer and half of the family ventured on to find the flower clock, while the other half stayed behind to complain, breathe, sulk, pep talk, and eventually explore the rocky coast right in front of us. *we used this strategy many times on this trip. Later, we all rejoined and in our walk back to the apartment to find lunch, visited the flower clock all together. You can learn more about this special clock at https://www.atlasobscura.com/.../reloj-de-flores-flower... and you can see our photos at the clock in one of the collages.
– it’s a flower garden arranged in the shape of clock and it works! Our first full day, we set out to find this flower clock and explore the coastline. We enjoyed a lovely walk along the coast and happened upon a boat built into the rock wall that is now a restaurant and a castle (closed to public for many years). As can be expected, at some point one or two of the kids didn’t like how something was going and our lovely walk was halted (it was also sunnier and hotter than expected, so cheeks and shoulders were slowly turning pink). Maybe it was good that were enlightened early in the trip that it’s nearly impossible to keep 6 different humans on the same page at all times. Our solution (after much frustration) was to divide and conquer and half of the family ventured on to find the flower clock, while the other half stayed behind to complain, breathe, sulk, pep talk, and eventually explore the rocky coast right in front of us. *we used this strategy many times on this trip. Later, we all rejoined and in our walk back to the apartment to find lunch, visited the flower clock all together. You can learn more about this special clock at https://www.atlasobscura.com/.../reloj-de-flores-flower... and you can see our photos at the clock in one of the collages.We did learn walking around Vina that first day that we definitely needed sun cream and after sun lotion – we quickly got both at the pharmacy across from the apartment – and the kids learned it was worth lathering on sun cream every days (sometimes multiple times). It’s still funny to see the kids burn/tan lines now that we are back to our real world – January winter!
Jason and I have always enjoyed walking around during our travels to stumble upon hidden treasures, treats, art work, playgrounds, and more. While the walks on this trip were not complaint-free, I do believe the kiddos can now appreciate the beauty of the unexpected when you just go out to explore.
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