Day 7 Lima, Peru City Tour

 

After a well needed night of sleep we woke to a bright sunny day. Our tour guide Oscar was scheduled to pick us up after lunch for a Lima City tour. Lima has a population of 9 million. We had been told that the traffic in Lima is brutal. We would have a chance to see that for ourselves.

We had lunch in the hotel restaurant and it was good with a great presentation. Not sure what Kelly and Patrick were eating but it presented quite nicely.

Oscar picked us up and off we went to tour Lima. Our first stop was the Parque del Amor, a seaside park with a huge statue of a kissing couple. Oscar was very animated and stated that the park and nearby bridge offered lovers the option of happiness and if that failed suicide off the bridge. HMMMM – not a good option me thinks!!!

The wall in the background was inspired by Gaudy, well know for his unusual art and architecture in Barcelona, Spain.

Another view of the wall with inscriptions of names of tragic lovers.

 

Looking through the heart shaped window in the wall overlooking the ocean. Quite pretty.

 

Another View

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oscar, our guide explaining the voting system in Peru. Everyone is required to vote otherwise will be fined. They are given a card and each election year that they vote the card is marked proving that that person did vote. Oscar, who is well – educated  said that the system  allows for a lot of error because a high percentage of the population is illiterate and can be fooled into making the wrong voting choices.  He told us that if a person does not vote and does not pay the $25.00 fine they cannot use a credit card, get a loan or do any business transactions.

Hugging in front of the Kissing Couple

 

We were brought to a site we did not expect to see. a restored adobe pyramid dating from the pre-Inca period located in San Isidro known as Huaca Huallamarca.

Due to time constraints we were only able to view the pyramid from outside the fence. Oscar told us that there are many pyramids n Lima -something we were not aware of..

 

A stand of olive trees in the center of Lima.

Along the streets in  the area of Miraflores  is the upscale residential and commercial area. Many of the commercial buildings were once private homes.

The traffic was brutal and everyone drives like maniacs.. Somehow we didn’t get into any accidents. There very few traffic lights or stops signs. It is every man for themselves.

We stopped to check out the Plaza de Armas and took in the beauty of the great plaza where the Presidential Palace , the Cathedral and the Church of San Francisco and  the Catacombs are located.

                       THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

 

There were lots and lots of armed police around the plaza. We were told they were very friendly but the looks on their faces didn’t say friendly!

 

The inside of the Cathedral was magnificent. There were chapels lining both sides of the church that are independently owned and have large gated doors on them. Families who bought the chapels decided who could enter them, therefore the gates. Each chapel is different and some more elaborate then others depending on the financial resources of the owners. These were also used as burial plots for the owners .

 

The bones  found in several of the crypts.

The final resting place of Don Francisco Pizarro whose body and head were misplaced for too many years to count. The story was very long and the way our guide told it was quite laughable. But now Pizzaro finally rests in peace.

 

Then it was off to the Church of San Francisco and the Catacombs.Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside.

The church and monastery of Saint Francisco were consecrated in 1673 and completed in 1774. The church, built in the Spanish Baroque style, survived earthquakes in 1687 and1746 but was extensively damaged in 1970. The complex was World Heritage listed in 1991 as part of the Historic Centre of Lima.
One of the most interesting features of the monastery is the Catacombs. Located below the building is an ossuary and a maze of passageways (said to connect to the cathedral during the time of the Inquisition). they remained in use until 1808 and were re-discovered in 1943. One of the features is a pit of bones and skulls arranged in a circular design.

The tour was excellent and we enjoyed our time with Oscar. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining .

Later that evening we walked from our hotel to the square and  took in the the night ambience. It was quite magical. We stopped at  a pizzeria down one of the many alleys  teeming with people and pubs. We ate some delicious pizza and Kelly, Patrick and Ron drank  Pisco Sours!

 

On the way back to our hotel we came upon a bevy of stray cats laying  around the city. They were quite pretty and looked healthy so someone must have been feeding them.

 

The sign prohibiting abandoning cats didn’t work too well! LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were back at the hotel and into bed by 9:30 pm. On the run again in the morning for our flight to Cusco, Peru. No rest for the weary on this trip.