Lima was the richest and most important city in the Americas in the 17th century and was considered the most beautiful colonial settlement in the region. Today, the capital of Peru is a sprawling, chaotic, polluted and mostly unlovely metropolis. We are here only for a couple of nights for a stopover en route to Ecuador.
Lima’s churches, monasteries and convents are a welcome break from the city’s incessant hustle and bustle. Originally built in 1555, La Catedral de Lima has been destroyed by earthquakes and reconstructed several times, most recently in 1746.
The oldest part of the Plaza de Armas is its central bronze fountain, erected in 1650.
The Presidential Palace.
The Monasterio de San Francisco is famous for its catacombs and remarkable library, which has thousands of antique texts, some dating back to the Spanish Conquest. The church is one of the best preserved of Lima’s early colonial churches, and much of it has been restored to its original baroque style with Moorish influence. The underground catacombs are the site of an estimated 70,000 burials. The bone-filled crypts are a little unnerving for the faint-hearted.
Time out to watch Roger Federer win the Paris Open. Yay Rog!
Tim tucks into delicious ceviche, the country’s most famous dish, at Astrid y Gaston Restaurant, which serves up modern Peruvian flavours with traditional Spanish and French influences.
Museo Larco contains an impressive collection of ceramics, highlighted by the infamous collection of pre-Columbian erotic pots, illustrating with remarkable explicitness the sexual practices of ancient Peruvian men, women animals and skeletons in all combinations of the above.
The LarcoMar shopping mall has a spectacular location built right into the oceanfront cliffs.
Gourd carving is a traditional Peruvian art form approximately 3,500 years old. Their main significance is to tell the story of the customs, history and culture of the people. A hot burin is used to mark the gourd and to fill in the shadows. We liked them so much we picked up a couple.
1 comment:
Hey you two! yet again, great posts and fabulous pix. Feeling wildly out of touch. Trip looks amazing. Is it over or are you still travelling? All is good here, not see you guys for ages and have lots to catch up on. When's your next trip east to Blighty? Max has nearly finished his 1st term at prep school and has loved it. Tonnes of sport and activities and a few lessons thrown in too for good measure! Nugs has met some nice mums and it all seems v social. Kirker is all good. Have seen some v busy times and some deathly quiet ones. V unpredictable, the peaks and troughs seem to go with media hype of the Eurozone economy. Nugs is well too busy with village committee, weekly tennis, dog walks and keeping Max and I in check! We are with friends doing something complete different for Xmas this year, a house party of 26! Then to Penroy for NYE. Bean is holding an xmas drinks pary on the 17th which will be a lot of fun. the whole family is going, a great chance to see everyone. You will be missed. Anyway, xmas card and annual newsletter to follow shortly. Keep well. All love, Us xx
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