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Lima, Peru |
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We were very pleased to find that our rooms at the Boulevard Hotel were mini-suites. The arrangement of the rooms were perfect. The minibar and living room were at one end of the suite. A hallway led past the bath and into the bedroom. The distance was perfect in case one person wanted to read while the other person wanted to sleep or watch TV. This arrangement also worked out very well on the morning of our departure. We had a very early morning flight and the hotel graciously provided breakfast in our rooms well before the normal opening hour of their restaurant. Linda joined us in our room and we had breakfast together at the bar.
The hotel restaurant was on the roof adjacent to the pool. The mornings were sunny and mild so the large doors were always open and tables were set up both inside and around the pool.
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Our exploration of the Lima began with a visit to the Plaza de Armas and the Lima Cathedral. The Conquistador Francisco Pizarro laid the first stone of the this cathedral. Less than 10 years later he was buried here.
An interesting architectural feature are the small wooden balconies on the Bishop's Palace and other buildings around the Plaza Mayor (formerly the Plaza de Armas). They extend out from the building only a foot or two. They are invariably made of wood and intricately carved. We found these beautiful balconies throughout Peru.
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Not far from our hotel in the Miraflores District we found an archaeological dig on a site called Huaca Pucllana. This massive mound in the center of Lima is centuries old and holds the relics of Pre-Incan civilization. In hindsight it is hard to believe that this mountain in the middle of flatlands went unnoticed as an archarological site and modern building encroached and destroyed some of it. Fortunately there is a good portion left and we are learning much about the people who lived here by the artifacts that are still being unearthed.
Skeletal remains have been found on the site and we learned that people were buried in sack in fetal position. The remains of female lie beneath the shaded canopy in the photo below. While exploring the ruins we were surprised by the appearance of this Peruvian Hairless dog. He was quite at home on the ruins and accustomed to people walking around his territory. He may look odd but he was appealing at the same time.
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Life sized replicas of the ancient people who lived and worked on the site are installed one section of the site adjacent to the museum. They were short and quite muscular. Wearing the style of clothing found at this site they are demonstrating the brick making process.
After exploring the site, visiting its museum and nursery we took a break in the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant. A cold beer was most welcome after trekking around the hot dusty mound. The food was great and the view of the mound from the restaurant terrace couldn't be beat. We didn't know it at the time but this restaurant is a top pick in many Travel Guides like Frommer's and Fodor's.
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Our next stop was a visit to the Convent San Fransicso. The Convent is built over elaborate catacombs where early settlers were buried. The catacombs probably helped the building weather the shaking of frequent earthquakes in the area. The catacombs were long forgotten and only rediscovered in the 1950s. Today a visit to the catacombs with its neatly arranged bones is a highlight of the visit. The arrangement of these bones is not as fancy as but reminiscent of the bones in the Chapel of the Capuchin Monks under the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the bottom of the Via Venetto in Rome.
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We wound down our day of exploring with a stop at "Love Park". I don't know if that is the official name of the Park but we dubbed it that because of the statue of the kissing couple in the center of the park. The park is on an cliff overlooking the ocean and is a great spot to watch the sunset. We could make out several surfers riding the last waves of the day in the surf below.
We returned to the hotel freshened up and headed out to La Rosa Nautica restaurant for dinner. We spotted this restaurant on a pier while exploring the city. The evening was just perfect for al fresco dining on the pier and we had a perfect table with a view of the city lights above. The food was excellent and we lingered over our meal as the setting sun painted the sky in crimson and violet.
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