Our second and last day in Lima began at the beautiful Museo Larco. This museum is located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid, and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. It features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and is one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. Its masterpieces are considered worldwide icons of Pre-Columbian art.
These pottery pieces are from the Incan Empire. Something I found particularly fascinating is that they were all found in this amazing, intact condition. None of them have been reconstructed or pieced together or repainted, they have that sturdy of construction! Those Inca's sure knew how to make things that last.
An now for the gold!
After our morning at the museum, we took a walking tour of the Charming bohemian Barroco district. Barroco one of 43 districts in Lima Peru. The district is considered to be the city's most romantic being the home and working place of many of Peru's leading artists, musicians, designers and photographers. In the 19th-century, it was a very fashionable beach resort for the Limeño aristocracy, and many people used to spend the summer here. Today, Barranco's beaches are among the most popular within the worldwide surfing community, and a marina completed in 2008 provides state-of-the-art services for its yacht club.
The name Barranco (Spanish for ravine) is a description of it's topography, featuring homes and restaurants in and around a ravine near a cliff overlooking a sand strip.
There is a beautiful walkway to the sea that runs through Barranco, called the Bajada de los Baños. Crossing over this walkway is the Puente de los Suspiros, or Bridge of Sighs, an iconic bridge which crosses the ravine itself and was inaugurated on 14 February 1876. The bridge is a famous meeting place for lovers, and has a lovely view towards the sea and the Ermita church. Legend has it that the first time you cross the bridge you can make a wish and as long as you hold your breath while you cross the bridge, your wish will come true! (I wasn't paying attention when we were told this bit of information, so I obliviously just crossed the bridge, taking pictures whoopsies)
I'm sure you have noticed by now that the winter weather in Lima lacks sunshine and color. It is overcast, gray, and misty for at least 6 months out of the year. To help brighten the city up and to make it a little more happy of a place to live, they paint their houses and shops all sorts of fun bright colors. They also have a lot of street art, such as the example pictured below, to help liven up the district.
The view from the bridge of sighs
After our wonderful stroll around the charming Barranco District we headed to Cala for a delectable seaside lunch. This restaurant is gorgeous and has such amazing and fresh seafood. I didn't get a chance to get any good photos of the restaurant itself, so I took some off the internet but I did include photo credits!
We were right on the beach and had excellent views of the many surfers out enjoying the winter waves.
One of the main reasons we dine at Cala is because they have the best selection of ceviche in town. Ceviche is a hugely popular dish in South America. The basic ingredient is raw fish, cut into bite-size pieces and "cooked" in the juice of limes. The citric acid in the juice changes the texture of the fish, without changing its “raw” taste. For those of you who know me well, you know I am not the biggest fan of seafood, mainly because I live in a land locked state and we don't have access to fresh fish. So, I was a little nervous about trying this dish, but since it is such a Peruvian dish I HAD to try it, turns out it is amazingly delicious! So fresh and the strong taste of lime makes this dish soo delectable!
I got this rich brownie, fudge pie thing for dessert to counter act the healthy, fresh meal of ceviche.
We had the rest of the afternoon free so my dad and I took a stroll along the boardwalk that has beautiful views of the beach. We stopped often to watch all the surfers ride the waves. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.
The next day we were all excited to fly to Cusco and see some sunshine! We headed to the airport bright and early and bid farewell to the city of Lima!
That was an interesting day...lots of variety and new things to experience! I liked the background info...and it was good to get the whole legend about the wishing bridge...I didn't catch it at the time either!
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