Lima, Peru—April 9

We had to get up at 4 a.m. to leave Cusco to fly to Lima, Peru. On our drive from the airport into Lima, we passed a church which marks the spot where St. Rose of Lima was born.

My impression of the city as we drove through it was that it was big and dirty.  I was not impressed.  We drove to the center of the city to have lunch before meeting our local guide who showed us the main plaza of the city which is bordered by government buildings and the cathedral.

 

We went through the cathedral before walking to a nearby monastery. 

 

 

This monastery once housed 300 monks, but now only 30 are in residence.  More pigeons occupy the square in front than monks do the monastery inside.  No pictures were allowed inside.  There is a beautiful library which contains hundreds of old books and illuminated music pieces.  They are literally falling apart because of the exposure to high humidity.  There is no money to preserve them which is really a shame.

Below, there is a crypt that contains literally thousands of bones and skulls arranged in deep pits.  It was really creepy.

From there, we were taken to the wealthier area of the city along the Pacific Ocean where our hotel was located.  We stopped at a lovely park which ran along the coastline and featured this interesting sculpture of a couple kissing.

 

 

People were enjoying the refreshing ocean breeze along the walls that were decorated with interesting mosaics.

We stayed in a very nice hotel to prepare for our transfer the next day to Santiago, Chile. Again, my impression of Lima was negative except for the area near the ocean.  Peru’s beauty is certainly in the Andes Mountains.