FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2018
LIVING IT UP IN LIMA, PERU'S CAPITAL
The next morning, we awoke at 7.00 am. We showered and went to the cafeteria attached to the hotel for breakfast. We had enjoyed our lovely spacious suites that included two bedrooms (with Chriselle having one to herself). Blair was already down and at table when we joined him to feast on a buffet that included juice, an omelette of our choice (I chose ham and cheese), cereal with yogurt, sliced pound cake, fresh fruit and coffee. It was a princely breakfast and we ate well to fuel up for the hectic sightseeing that lay ahead. We were down in the lobby by 9.00 am to await our pick up which arrived promptly at 9.15 am.
The three of us entered the mini-van that picked up several other passengers and transported us all to the main pick up area for the start of our sightseeing tour of Lima. We discovered that we were in a most centrally-located, happening area called Miraflores, that was filled with shops, restaurants, banks, etc. It was not long before we connected with our English-speaking guide named Wanna, who then placed us in another vehicle to begin our tour.
We started off at Lima’s Pucllana (pronounced Puk-yana) Pyramid which is easily evident from the air as one begins descent into the city. It is a huge historic mound that was built by the Incas in a manner that is deeply reminiscent of the great pyramids of Egypt. Build entirely of terracotta red bricks, the structure was used for burials. This was a pre-Hispanic structure that clearly pronounced the might of the Incas as master builders. We would see many examples of their mastery of architecture in the next couple of days, culminating with their achievements at Machu Pichu. So it was really good to have this introduction to their genius.
Our mini-van then wended its way through the neighborhood of San Ysidro where we were introduced to the city’s diplomatic enclave filled with beautiful colonial-style mansions in a variety of styles. As we inched deeper into the sprawling city, we passed through the grand colonial squares of Passeo de la Republica with its equestrian statue and is colonnaded arcades and the Piazza San Marti—squares that proclaim the Spanish conquest of South America and of Peru, in particular. We loved the historic layout of the city and the splendor of the Spaniards that was evident in the sculpture, the solidity of the historic buildings, etc.
Our van stopped at what used to be the Federal Reserve Bank of Peru but which ceased functioning as one in the 1970s after being built in the 1880s. It has been recommissioned as a museum to house a number of the most precious artifacts that the city treasures. We saw the main banking hall with its grills and tiles still intact. In a beautiful building that boasts a vault with huge thick steel doors, we saw examples of Inca gold including drinking vessels, funerary masks of Inca chieftains, nose rings and other forms of ornamentation made by beating and hammering sheets of gold to artisanal perfection as well as an ancient counting device made of thread called a kripu.
About a half hour later, we began our walking tour of the colonial heart of Lima that fascinated us with its glorious wooden carved balconies that jutted out into narrow streets and led us directly to the Plaza Major that is the central square of the city and the nucleus of its historical and contemporary glory. Laid out around beautifully manicured gardens and punctuated by towering palm trees (that were slightly reminiscent of Old Goa), we could not stop taking pictures as the overall ambience was so stirring.
As if to make matters even more stirring, we could hear a marching band play. And turning our heads in the direction of its beats, we realized that the Changing of the Palace Guard was about to occur at the adjacent Presidential Palace. The ceremonial pageantry occurs each day at noon but the precursor to this display is a series of marching tunes to which we were treated by a bevy of musicians in ceremonial garb. Indeed it was difficult to decide exactly where we should start our exploration of this square. The band was in the front grounds of the Presidential Palace, draped by two grand Peruvian red and white striped flags; but in a four-sided square, the most dominant building was the Cathedral built in the 16th century and flanked on one side by the Archbishop’s Palace. I was not content with seeing the grandeur of the Cathedral from the outside and decided to sneak a quick look inside as well. However, lack of time on the tour did not make it possible for me to explore beyond a point. I was pleased to have caught a glimpse of the biggest highlight of the inside of the Cathedral—the burial monument to Francisco de Pissarro who is considered to be the Spanish ‘discoverer’ of Peru. He arrived in 1534 and placed Peru under Spanish control. He is buried in a side chapel whose walls are covered with Byzantine mosaics and European paintings. Back on the Plaza Major, we took many pictures facing all four sides of the square—two of which had buildings entirely painted in orche.
Wanna arrived soon enough to shepherd us out of the plaza along side streets where we nipped in and out of souvenir shops to pick up our magnets and post cards and taste Pisco Sour blends—one of which used chocolate as a base—and chocolate itself for Peru is well known for growing the cacao plant. We were also fascinated by the sight of many Peruvian women dressed in traditional Quechua clothing that was colorful as well as odd—they wore hose and sombreros! Past the Casa de la Litterature Peruana, which once used to be a railway station, we arrived at the gorgeous Jesuit Church of St. Francis with its yellow twin spires—this time deeply reminiscent indeed of Old Goa and the Jesuit Basilica of Bom Jesu. The main church was closed but we had the opportunity to enter the sacristy which was simply magnificent—we could only guess what the main altar of the basilica would be. In the sacristy, we saw a brilliant pageant of saints painted by the Spanish artist Zurbaran and on the opposite sides a series of saints’ portraits in the style of Reubens. Indeed, this church also housed a monastery—dedicated, of course, to Franciscan monks, who decorated their cloister walls with Spanish azuelotiles in brilliant ceramic colors.
The highlight of the basilica of St. Francis, however, were the catacombs—in actual fact, an ossuary, such as I had last seen in Paris. Wanna led us lower and lower into the depths of the church to the point where the main altar was directly above us. This was burial ground dedicated to the city’s Spanish nobility as they were the ones most privileged to be buried just below the holiest part of the church. As we proceeded further down dimly lit and very dark narrow corridors, we saw countless human skulls and femur bones arranged artistically in a variety of shapes, each more creative than the next. We were deeply reminded of human mortality and the fact that despite the earthy glory to which man may aspire, after death he is, in fact, reduced to mere dust.
After an extremely educational morning, Wanna herded us back into the mini van that drove us through many interesting Peruvian neighborhoods. We were struck by the general cleanliness of the streets as well as the Futbol Fever that has gripped this city in the wake of the World Cup 2018. Everywhere Peruvians are wearing their national colors of red and white and filled with a sense of patriotic fervor. Wanna drove us along the Miraflores waterfront and pointed out the grand sculpture that has been placed all along the boardwalk. She showed us Lima’s grandest mall called Larcomar before dropping us off at our hotel.
We took a break for a couple of hours before we decided to go out and explore the Miraflores waterfront. Our friend Blair decided to sign up for a tasting tour of the cuisine of Peru and went off in a van by himself. We picked up coffees at a local Starbucks before walking down the road that led directly to the water. Using LonelyPlanet, we found a restaurant called Tantawhere we decided to have dinner at a table that offered arresting views of the Miraflores coastline. After sitting for a long while on the waterfront, exploring some stores of the snazzy mall called Larcomar and taking pictures of the blue-domed pier just below us, we were ready to eat a typical Peruvian meal.
Lima is renowned for its blend of Spanish and Andrean elements in its cuisine and, in recent times, has placed itself at the center of global gastronomic culture. Among its many contributions to the world are ceviche(also spelled and pronounced cebiche) in which fish and seafood are marinated for several hours in acidic citrus juices to allow the meat to ‘cook’ before being garnished with raw sliced onions and fresh tomatoes and served as an appetizer or as a main dish with boiled rice. We started off with red wine and Pisco Sours—the cocktail that has made Peru famous--and cevicheand followed with Antichurros—which are grilled beef hearts that were superbly spiced and delicately grilled to tasteful perfection. Chicken in a spicy sauce finished off our dinner which was a brilliant introduction to the cuisine of the country.
On our way back on foot to our hotel, we marveled again at the lovely urbanity of Lima and its people for everyone was courteous, helpful and friendly. The city had made a very favorable impression on us and we were thrilled to be able to discover it.
Until manana, adios...
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