Peru, Day 7: Lima

Since international flights tend to leave Lima very late at night, we had a day to enjoy Lima after departing Cusco.  We bid farewell to our Cusco team from Kuoda and were met at the airport by our Lima driver and guide.  First, we were driven to the beautiful Miraflores neighborhood on the coast, to enjoy lunch and the view.

Then, we were driven to downtown/historic Lima to view some of the architecture and main sights.  It was a Good Friday, so the city was jam-packed with people celebrating and walking between churches.  We were able to see the main plaza with their large cathedral and Presidential palace, both built on former Incan sites of importance by the colonial powers.

We also visited a very special old house, Casa de Aliaga.  Reputed to be the oldest Colonial mansion in Lima and possibly South America, it is a stone's throw from the Presidential palace with an unassuming entrance.  Definitely a hidden gem you wouldn't even know about unless you read or heard about it!  It has a beautiful interior and has been continuously occupied by the same family since it was built.

After the house, we visited another church, the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco. We did not go inside due to the crowds, but I loved the color and architecture.

We then set off on a driving tour through Lima, back towards Miraflores.  We saw an old archaeological site that is still being excavated, and finished at a seaside park, El Parque del Amor, a romantic spot that signaled the end of our Peru adventures.