Lima, Peru Part II

Wow, what a day... we took a city bus tour this afternoon. The first stop, we went to a beach near Miraflores. There was a large amount of people in the park, with a small concert going on. The sun was at it's peak in the sky, and it was very intense. Any exposed skin was getting fried on the spot. I'm glad I brought my SPF 45 with me this time...

We then boarded the bus again, and headed around the town. We toured a few city squares and heard about the different parts of the city. Our tour guide presented us with a variety of information on Lima, the history to the present.

Plaza Mayor with Cathedral in the background

We were dropped off at the Plaza Mayor, deep in the city's historic heart. This area is thick with Spanish history, as this particular site was chosen to house a Cathedral by Francisco Pizarro himself. The government palace is also located at this location. We walked around the square, and then walked towards the Monasterio de San Francisco.

Our guide pointed us in the direction of a very historic bar- the Bar Cordano, which was 105 years old. Very authentic bar and I had a great pork sandwich with a Cuscueno beer- it hit the spot. They had a lot of Tacama wines lining the shelves, which makes me excited for our winery tour of Tacama tomorrow. We then toured the Monasterio de San Francisco, a great example of the Spanish's influence here in Peru. We were led through the catacombs, and looked upon the bones of tens of thousands of people. What an eerie experience.

We hopped back on the bus, back to the hotel. We had a two hour discussion on the history of Peru by a local expert. Then our class broke apart into small groups and dispersed back into the city for dinner. My group ended up at this large pedestrian mall area with a bunch of restaurants. The one we chose was packed- and for a good reason. The fish I ordered was absolutely amazing. Whole garlic cloves, potatoes... wow, these Peruvians know how to cook. Others at my table were willing to share, and none of us were disappointed with our food. Back to the hotel- tomorrow is going to be another busy day!