Lima has amazing churches and gorgeous architecture. For such a large city, it didn't seem to be as much of a concrete jungle as other places we've been. The hazy coastline was gorgeous, and we were surprised at how clean everything was. Although the tap water isn't drinkable (for foreigners, anyway), the food is spicy and delicious. Peruvians are very proud of their food, as we quickly learned.
We visited Iglesia de San Francisco and got to tour the catacombs beneath the church. The guide told us not to take pictures, but I couldn't resist hanging towards the back of the pack and taking one or two. At one point, our group stopped together to look at a crypt, and Teague said to me, "mom, can I see the picture you just took?" As his little voice echoed in the tiny space, I tried my best "Honey, the guide says we can't take pictures down here" response, but he completely called me out and said, "mom, you just took a picture over there." Note to self, the sweet little baby boy that I carried under my heart for 9 months has no problem ratting me out!
The Parque del Amor, which opened on Valentine's Day a couple of years back, is located along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. At the entrance, there's a gigantic statue called "the kiss" and beautiful mosaic benches with love poems that curve around throughout the waterfront. The park also had a tiny kid's maze within a rose garden, which kept Teague entertained for well over an hour.
The historic district of Lima houses a bohemian neighborhood with the "bridge of sighs" and a beautiful church.
On the night before we headed to Cusco, we went to Lima's Magic Water Circuit, which is a park with themed fountains and colored lights. The park hosts an impressive 45 minute fountain show every evening which rivals anything similar I've seen at Disney parks.
Lima was an unexpected gem, with so many beautiful areas, colorful buildings, and parks. Aside from some very bad taxi drivers (including one who purposely braked unexpectedly to anger the car behind us), we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city.
Additional photos:
The old post office.
The Government Palace.
Peru has it's own brand of soft drink, "Inca Kola", which they serve everywhere; our taxi driver even received a small glass of it when he filled up at the gas station. It tastes exactly like bubble gum.
3 comments:
Okay, I totally want to go to Peru now. :)
Out of the mouths of babes...Love it!
Glad to see Teague is carrying on the family tradition. Caitlin would rat me out at the drop of a hat when she was younger. The only reason why she stopped doing it was because I threatened to embarrass her painfully at school. We all love hearing about your adventures. Teague's American fan club is jealous of his Peruvian one. Talk to you soon!
Post a Comment