Lima

Sunday, 29 March

Lima

After a leisurely start to the day I was picked up at the hotel for my Gastronomic Tour of Lima. Our first stop was a market where we looked at some local fish, fruits and vegetables. It was in an upper class area - very clean and very quiet, possibly also because it was Sunday. Lots of fruits that were new to us and many varieties of potato. Potatoes are said to have originated by Lake Titicaca and there are more than 3000 varieties in Peru.

 

Following the market we were taken to the shore of the Pacific and a very swish restaurant, La Rosa Nautica, on the end of a jetty. In the bar, we were given a lesson on making the famous Peruvian cocktail, the Pisco Sour: 3 parts Pisco, 1 part lime juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 1 part egg white. Delicious but it packs a real punch. Our guide, Patricia, warned us that if you have 2 or 3 you start speaking another language.

While we sipped our Pisco Sours we had a lesson in making ceviche, a classic Peruvian dish with raw fish marinated in lime juice, sugar syrup, salt, cilantro, chilli, seaweed, onion and celery.

From here we moved into the restaurant and enjoyed a three course meal featuring the ceviche and other seafoods. There were only four of us on the tour, an American man, a Finnish man (the American's boss), a Swiss lass (also a teacher) and me. It was pleasant company, a charming setting and a great meal. What more could one wish for?

 

After lunch the men were dropped back at their hotel and I elected to join Isabelle, the Swiss girl, on the afternoon city tour. A few more people on this one, which took us through the better-off suburbs and into the city. We stopped at Plaza San Martin and the main cathedral plaza. This was packed with people watching an Easter procession for Palm Sunday. It was a very festive atmosphere with music and men in purple cloaks (followers of some saint) and families out enjoying the day. Many were carrying bundles of palm leaves with a crucifix in the middle. We then walked to another church and monastery where we went down into the catacombs, full of bones and very hot and humid.

The cloister was tiled with instantly familiar tiles, imported from Seville, and in the blues and yellows that we saw there a couple of years ago. It was interesting that the ceilings in a couple of parts were Moorish in design, again very similar to what we had seen in Seville and Granada. Unfortunately no photos were allowed.

Back to the hotel to wait for Lorraine, whose plane lands around 11pm.

 

 

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