Had a great time on a beautiful ship. I met the ship mid-cruise in Aruba. From there, we sailed thru the Panama Canal, around the shoulder of S. America and I disembarked in the port of Callao, just outside of Lima, Peru.
This cruise line really spoiled me! I even had my own balcony and I took advantage of the wonderful room service to enjoy a lovely breakfast as we sailed through the Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal.
If you haven't had a chance, please do experience the Panama Canal. Even 100 years after construction, it's an incredible feat of engineering. Ships are raised and lowered between sea level and Gatun Lake, 80 feet above sea level.
You know I'm a nut for all the great food I'm lucky to experience. I had lunch in the small port Manta, Ecuador of with some new friends who work onboard. These grilled prawns were just the starter for a terrific lunch right on the beach. Not fancy, but really fresh and delicious!
The excursions obviously have a very different flavor in the Americas from the Mediterrean cruises I enjoyed last year. I don't have quite as much to write about, but there were some very nice highlights, especially from the excursion I took for an overview of Lima, Peru.
This is in downtown Lima, as we toured around one of the beautiful central squares. This is a statue of San Martin, the liberator of Peru, Argentina and I think Chile (?). He was an Argentine so I got a lot of his history when I spent time down there when I was young.
This is the Basilica to St. Francis. We took a lovely tour but unfortunately we weren't permitted to take photos inside:
The biggest highlight of the day was visiting the main Catholic Cathedral downtown.
The Cathedral has been rebuilt four times, it's been destroyed by earthquakes over the years.
This current version is actually all timber and stucco which, due to it's inherent flexibility, is better able to withstand the tremors. All the columns, etc. you see are all faux (stucco over lathing):
One of the niches is the resting place of Francisco Pizzaro, the founder of Lima. The walls are decorated with very beautiful and colorful mosaics.
Ol' Don Pizzaro was thought to have been buried in one location and then his bones started turning up in various spots; including this metal box which is labeled "skull of Don Pizzaro". They gathered everything together and finally arranged for this ornate tomb in the Cathedral.
Here's a detail they left exposed to show the construction of the Cathedral. Pretty impressive!
Attached, but to the left of the main Cathedral, is the home of the Cardinal. The front boasts very elaborate enclosed balconies which are famous in Lima. Not all are as highly decorated, but they're traditionally made of cedar and are a Moorish influence. Ladies could take the cooler air and look out from their perches without being seen from the street. You can see examples on many buildings all over town.
Directly around the plaza from the Cathedral, you'll find the impressive Presidential Palace
We lucked out and arrived during a changing of the guard, which seems to consist of the band playing for the visitors
Around the corner from the Presidential Palace, we visited the private home of a Peruvian hero of their revolutionary war, Juan Aliaga. The home has been preserved and is still lived in by his descendants.
The upscale business district is right on the coast and boasts an amazing view.
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| In Miraflores- Lima, Peru |
