After a brief 5 hour nap, we woke up to an incredibly mixed cup of thick espresso blended with heated milk. There were some eggs involved too. Stepping outside the hotel, an anti-tuberculosis fair was happening across the street in the PLaza San Martin. The plaza, named for the Argentinian who liberated Peru for the Spanish, is full of marble benches and all imaginable greenery, so families, friends, and couples were taking advantage of its flower-lined walkways to enjoy their Saturday.
We set off down the Jiron de la Union, one of the main streets here, to the PLaza de Armas. Plazas are big here, and this was even more spacious and beautiful than the last. Its orange and yellow marigolds all honored the two palaces on the square, the Palacio del Arzobispo (Archbishop) and the Palacio del Gobierno (Goverment- this is the home of Peru's president). We arrived in time to see a blue-uniformed band playing glistening white instruments to usher in the daily changing of the guard. Machine gun-toting military men scanned the crowd taking photos of the fanfare. I wonder what would happen if some of the money allotted for ceremony were to be diverted into services for the people...
Our next stop was the Monastery of San Francisco, which featured bone-lined catacombs. The most interesting part of this was a huge (10 meters deep) well, which was 7/10 full of skulls and femurs, delicately arranged in a circular pattern. An obsession with death? Nope- the well was actually a support feature to help the building withstand earthquakes, and the monks needed a place to put all the bones that were coming in. Despite the prohibition on photography, Erin managed to snap some great shots that we'll be sharing when possible. The other interesting tidbit from this place was a Catholic ritual item (I don't remember either the English or Spanish name for it) that actually used an image from Incan worship as the focal point of its design. Made me think back to classes in Cuba about the syncretized religions. In a reversal of the Catholic images that were blended with African ones in religions like voodoo, palos, and santeria, this showed the Catholic church bringing in an important native symbol.
Who doesn't get hungry after a site like that? We decided to try a much-acclaimed Peruvian dish, Papas a la Huayacaina. These are potatoes covered in a chili-spiced cheesy, creamy sauce, served with slices of eggs and some olives. Expecting a hot dish, we were suprised by the tepid temperature. I definitely enjoyed it (along with the nation's specialty beverage, the Pisco Sour) and am looking forward to dinner!
While stopping in a local grocery store (and being thrilled out of my mind to discover maracuyo), we realized that Erin's earlier money exchange had resulted in some false bills. While she made sure to trade with a gentleman wearing the city's "uniform" for licensed exchange people, it was to no avail. We did get a lesson on counterfeit bills from another, much chagrined, Peruvian.
We had heard many unfortunate things about Lima before arriving, including from Limenos themselves, but I think there are reasons to visit the city if you're in Peru. The architecture, at least in Central Lima, is beautiful, the history interesting, and I didn't have a single minute where I felt unsafe as we were walking (once we realized how to safely cross a street, that is).
After a much-needed nap, it's time for dinner, drinks, and then a few more hours of sleep before our early-morning flight to Cusco. On to the Sacred Valley of the Incas!
Who doesn't get hungry after a site like that? We decided to try a much-acclaimed Peruvian dish, Papas a la Huayacaina. These are potatoes covered in a chili-spiced cheesy, creamy sauce, served with slices of eggs and some olives. Expecting a hot dish, we were suprised by the tepid temperature. I definitely enjoyed it (along with the nation's specialty beverage, the Pisco Sour) and am looking forward to dinner!
While stopping in a local grocery store (and being thrilled out of my mind to discover maracuyo), we realized that Erin's earlier money exchange had resulted in some false bills. While she made sure to trade with a gentleman wearing the city's "uniform" for licensed exchange people, it was to no avail. We did get a lesson on counterfeit bills from another, much chagrined, Peruvian.
We had heard many unfortunate things about Lima before arriving, including from Limenos themselves, but I think there are reasons to visit the city if you're in Peru. The architecture, at least in Central Lima, is beautiful, the history interesting, and I didn't have a single minute where I felt unsafe as we were walking (once we realized how to safely cross a street, that is).
After a much-needed nap, it's time for dinner, drinks, and then a few more hours of sleep before our early-morning flight to Cusco. On to the Sacred Valley of the Incas!
