{"id":1382,"date":"2016-03-22T00:46:13","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T04:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2018-01-28T14:50:03","modified_gmt":"2018-01-28T19:50:03","slug":"lovely-lima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=1382","title":{"rendered":"Lovely Lima"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2016 \u00a0Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

On my quest to check off as many countries as possible from my bucket list, I try to get many done on my company’s clock. \u00a0Of course, I love to travel on my own time, but there’s nothing like getting paid to see another area of our globe while making a buck or two.<\/p>\n

Recently, I found my schedule short a few hours. \u00a0Since I work my schedule around my husband’s, I \u00a0usually work weekends. \u00a0Not seeing any trips to pick up that fit the bill, I decided to check other base’s swap\u00a0boards to see if there was anything that I might like. \u00a0My base, NYC, only flies to the South American cities of Sao Paulo and Bogota, so it’s wonderful when the Atlanta base has some South American trips available. \u00a0\u00a0A couple of years ago, I was able to work trips\u00a0to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile and really loved what these cities had to offer. \u00a0Lima had been on my to-do list, but I just had not seemed to have the space on my schedule…until now. \u00a0As I checked the swap board, there it was…available for out-of-base pickup and on the exact day that I needed it!<\/p>\n

Always suffering a bit of anxiety before I go anywhere new, I did quite a bit of research before the day of departure arrived. \u00a0There was not one thing that I wanted to miss out on!<\/p>\n

Arriving at the hotel after midnight, there wasn’t a concierge on duty to assist me. \u00a0I knew from my research that there was a double-decker tour bus that departed from the nearby Parque Kennedy at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. with the tour lasting 3 1\/2 hours. \u00a0Aware that it ran through the Plaza de Armas and visited\u00a0the Cathedral on the morning tour and the Catacombs during the afternoon tour, it seemed like a good option, but the problem was that I did not want to just ride<\/em> on a bus and see things. \u00a0I wanted to have time to walk around and see each building and more importantly, I wanted to see BOTH, the Cathedral\u00a0and<\/em> the Catacombs. \u00a0One of the front desk employees suggested a private tour company, but, after a bit of questioning, I found that other tourists would be on the tour as well. \u00a0I really did not want to be on anyone’s schedule but my own.<\/p>\n

Finally, I decided that although my Spanish is quite rusty…actually, almost non-existent…I was going to take a cab. \u00a0Getting the cab to the city center from my hotel wouldn’t be a\u00a0problem…getting one back to the hotel, might be though, if I wasn’t able to communicate properly. \u00a0Well, I finally decided that I would give it a try. \u00a0Certainly, I figured, I should be able to find a hotel and enlist their assistance.<\/p>\n

The next morning, I was up early and ready to tackle this new adventure. \u00a0After a delicious breakfast, I had one of the hotel clerks call the cab for me. \u00a0Before long, I was ensconced in a decent cab with the driver having been instructed to bring me to Plaza de Armas. \u00a0From our hotel in Miraflores, it was about a 30 minute somewhat scenic ride ride in which I entertained myself with a bit of people watching.<\/p>\n

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Before long, I was deposited at the foot of the Cathedral of Lima looking out on the beautiful Plaza de Armas or Plaza Mayor. \u00a0Plaza de Armas, is the name for the main square in many Hispanic American cities. \u00a0While some large cities have both a Plaza de Armas and<\/em> a Plaza Mayor, in most cities those are two names for the same place. \u00a0Here in Lima, both names are used for this locale, the birthplace of Lima. \u00a0The square is flanked by the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municpal Palace and the Palace of the Union.<\/p>\n

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Leaving the square, I headed toward the Peruvian House of Literature, which is Lima’s old train station. \u00a0Restored by the government, in 2009, it was turned into a reading room of Peruvian works and it open to the public. \u00a0As picturesque as it was, and as tempting to visit, I had another destination in mind.<\/p>\n

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Turning right,\u00a0I headed over to the baroque-style\u00a0Church of San Francisco. \u00a0The tours of the catacombs begin on the hour, so I decided to wisely make use of my time and visit the church prior to joining the tour.<\/p>\n

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After my visit to San Francisco Church and Catacombs was complete, I wandered through a few of the souvenir shops while making my way back to the Plaza de Armas. \u00a0The sound of music greeted me as I made my way into the Plaza and I noticed a crowd gathered in front of the Presidential Palace, the official residence and office of Peru’s president. \u00a0Sitting on the banks of the Rimac River, the French-inspired mansion, constructed in the 1930’s, showcases the changing of the guard ceremony every day at noon. \u00a0Since the crowd\u00a0was\u00a0not extremely large, I was able to make my way to the front of the pack…great brass band, beautiful uniforms, lots of pomp and circumstance…not to be missed!<\/p>\n

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Next on my agenda was the Cathedral of Lima. \u00a0Dedicated to St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, it is also home to the tomb of Francisco Pizarro. \u00a0The cathedral is quite impressive with its many chapels. \u00a0The old sacristy and the adjoining rooms house the Religious Art Museum of the Cathedral of Lima. \u00a0The museum displays religious paintings, sculptures and countless liturgical objects and is fascinating to visit.<\/p>\n

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Departing the Plaza de Armas, I made my way down to Plaza San Mart\u00edn, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. \u00a0 \u00a0Located within the Historic Centre of Lima, it is one of the most representative public spaces of Lima and the meeting place of many Peruvians. \u00a0A wonderful place to observe the local residents relaxing and traversing the plaza, time should also be take to absorb the impressive architecture. \u00a0Surrounding the plaza, the many historic buildings…the Col\u00f3n Theater, The Hotel Bolivar, The Zela and Pumacahua arcades, Club Nacional, the Cine Metro, F\u00e9nix, Boza and Sudam\u00e9rica buildings, were built in the Neocolonial style. \u00a0There are four water fountains, bronze streetlamps and flower-filled gardens and the central monument pays\u00a0homage to Peru’s liberator, Jose de San Mart\u00ed<\/a>n.<\/p>\n

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Finally, the time had come to arrange for my transportation back to my hotel in Miraflores. \u00a0Despite my unfortunate Spanish language skills. I was lucky enough to find a cabbie that spoke a bit of English. \u00a0My ride to Plaza de Armas had only cost 20 sols (about $6) and I had given the driver a 10\u00a0sols tip ($3) because I did not have any change. \u00a0Expecting the same fare, I was shocked when the cabbie that I approached, looked at the business card from my hotel and offered $50 sols! \u00a0He spoke a bit of English and \u00a0tried to explain that it was very far. \u00a0I stood my ground and finally got him to agree to 30 sols. \u00a0Success! \u00a0Happy that I overcame the hurdle to return to my part of town, I was soon on my way!<\/p>\n

My plan for the afternoon was to explore the area near my hotel. \u00a0Hearing of wonderful shopping at Polvos Azules (Blue Market), I had hoped to visit, however, other shopping near the hotel caught my attention. \u00a0The pilots on my crew informed me that \u00a0a store near our hotel offered a brand of clothing that my children were particularly impressed with…at an extremely good price. \u00a0Wandering the streets for a while, I thought that I had been misdirected. \u00a0Up Avenida Larco and down again, over to the next street and back down…maybe because I wasn’t sure of what I was looking for, I must have passed by the store I was looking for a few times. \u00a0Finally…I found it. \u00a0Tables everywhere were piled with clothes…I finally completely understood why my crew members nicknamed it “The Dig”. \u00a0As I glanced around at the chaos that was LaQuinta, I thought that I would never find what I was looking for. \u00a0Thankfully, I had had the hindsight to save a picture of one of the shirts from the brand I was looking for. \u00a0When I showed it to one of the clerks, she took me straight to a table, teeming with piles of shirts, so nicely folded and divided by size. \u00a0I thought I was in heaven! \u00a0After selecting \u00a0and purchasing so many pieces, it was time to stop at Manolo’s for a snack…Churro filled with dulce-de-leche…head back to the hotel to deposit my wares and make my way over to the Indian Market.<\/p>\n

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Located one block from the roundabout near Parque Kennedy is Avenue Petit Thouars. \u00a0The market contains many artisan markets selling everything Peruvian craftsmanship has to offer. \u00a0Beautiful jewelry, silverware, artisan craftworks, clothing made from alpaca wool, pottery, paintings and more, from all over Peru, are offered for sale. \u00a0After doing some heavy duty negotiating and finally securing a couple pieces of jewelry, an Incan mask and an Incan chess set for my son, I was ready to sample some local fare for my dinner and head back to somehow<\/em> find space in my suitcase for my many purchases!<\/p>\n

Lima was an incredible place…one that I will return to in the near future. \u00a0Maybe I will let my company pay my way once again, but most definitely, I will return on my own time so that I can explore…maybe solo…maybe with my family…on my own schedule.<\/p>\n

Check out more pictures of Lima on my Facebook page, Snapping the Globe and on Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.<\/p>\n

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Church, Museum and Catacombs of San Francisco<\/strong><\/p>\n