Oct. 31, 2011 - Lima, Peru

Our ship was a little late in docking at Callao so we caught our excursion bus a little later than was scheduled. Callao is the port for Lima and is not far away from the center of Lima. The first place we stopped at was the Church and Convent of San Francisco. This church is considered to be the most important religious monument in Lima. It was a beautiful place but we were not allowed to take pictures inside so I will have to tell you about it when I get home. Next we walked to the Main Square in the heart of Lima. This square was surrounded by the Government Palace, the Town Hall, the Bishop's Palace with its beautiful balconies and the Cathedral of Lima. We went into the Cathedral and saw the choir stalls, the Churrigueresque Chapel of the Immaculate, the main altar and statue of Christ made of carved ivory. Also we saw the crypt with the remains of the conqueror Francisco Pizarro. After this we drove by several colonial squares, churches and mansions. We stopped at a beautiful park on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and saw the surf rolling onto the beaches with a background of islands in the distance. This was a magnificent site and was near the modern districts of San Isidro and Miraflores. What impressed us was the very wide streets and how clean the city was.
Yes, Lima is a very beautiful city.
We will be staying overnight in Lima and tomorrow I will be on a shore excursion visiting the Archaeological sites in Lima. Dorothy has elected to go on a shopping shore excursion.

Beautiful statue on a column in a square surrounded by purple painted buildings.

Statue in the main square of Lima.

Church and Convent of San Francisco

The palace of the President of Peru next to the city square.

Beautiful flowers and lawn in the city square.

The Cathedral of Lima next to the city square.

The city hall next to the city square

Rough sea on the beaches at Lima

The sea and beaches looking in the direction of Callao that is the port for Lima.