On Saturday, we went to Barrancos. The Bridge of Sighs is a fairly simple wooden bridge that stands over the Passado de Banos, a path that takes you down to the beach below. The bridge is said to be an iconic site in Barrancos, and I couldn't understand why that was. A little research tells me that it is tied to a legend. On the side of the bridge is a beautiful house. It is said that there was a young woman who lived there who had fallen in love with a street sweeper. Her father had forbidden their marriage and she had lived her live as a sprinstress. She spent most of her time looking out from her window toward the bridge (perhaps that's where her lover swept... the story is not specific) and she would sigh. Anyone crossing the bridge could see and hear her. Because of this legend, the bridge is considered to be a very romantic place.
Passado de Banos
Well, I don't know that the story makes me feel all that mushy, but there is it: the Bridge of Sighs!
We walked around the neighbourhood for a while and found some lovely street art. We stopped for a drink and Henry tried the very local Inka Cola sin azucar, of course. ;-} and quite liked it.
After a little more wandering, we stopped for a late lunch at Sanford Consogo, a traditional family-owned Peruvian restaurant. There, we tried our first Pisco Sour. It is absolutely yummy and I would think pretty deadly. You could drink this stuff like lemonade and it would have you, well, it would have me, anyways, under the table very quickly. We ordered a combination of dishes to try. I had Frejol con Seco: stewed beef with a side of beans and potato and a mountain of rice. Their servings were more than generous. Henry had Chicken with green rice and fried fish. It was all delicious. Neither of us came even close to finishing our food.
By late afternoon, we decided to head out to La Rosa Nautica, a restaurant on a pier, back in Miraflores.
We had seen it from the Malecon and had wanted to go photograph at sunset there. A quick but very roundabout taxi ride takes us there in good time. We had hoped to perhaps have a drink and dessert at the restaurant, but it became obvious there was no chance of that! This was a faaaannnccy place! :-) We certainly were not dressed for the place, nor did we have reservations. Nevertheless, we hung out on the pier and photographed for a while. After sunset, we decided to walk home but forest, we had to climb the hill! I didn't count the steps! It turns out the cliff is 226 feet high above the beach, so it would translate to about 22 floors... give or take!... It's much better I didn't know that at the bottom of the stairs! :-)
We felt so good about ourselves that we stopped for coffee and dessert. It was delicious, full of calories and probably the most expensive coffee and dessert of the tip so far, clocking in at about $35Can. Wow!... and this is in Peru! Oh well...
Our last day in Cusco! Sunday.
I woke up to the sound of soothing music and a voice giving some instruction in Spanish. I got up to check out what was going on. They had blocked Larco Avenue and there was a Tai Chi class on the street. That was then followed by an aerobics class, and then what looked like a Tae Bo class, and so on... Everyone was hanging out in exercise clothing. Gone were the regular street clothes. It looks like Limenos like to get the most out of their Sunday.
We had a quick breakfast and headed out for a walk. It was sunny and hot. We found an antique street market. I saw so many beautiful pieces! And perhaps even a typewriter or two I wish I could have brought back for my son Carlos' collection. Sadly, that isn't possible, so we look and we photograph. Pixels are very light in our suitcases! ;-)
We spotted a large building across the expressway with a MERCADO sign. We had to check it out so we found the bridge across. We were no longer in Miraflores, but in Surquillo, the neighbouring district. The mercado was definitely aimed at local customers: plenty of stalls packed with fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, seeds, and herbs of all kinds. The periphery of the building was lined with little stands (and I mean very little, barely large enough for one person to stand behind the counter. They made fresh juices or cakes and coffee. It all looked very delicious, but it was also served in real glassware... and I couldn't help but wonder where and how they managed to wash those dishes between customers, in those teeny little stalls.... so I passed on... Fortunately, we found another little fresh juice restaurant across the way. It was hot, humid and very sunny, so cool fresh juice sounded good.
Later that evening, after dinner, we headed down to Kennedy Park again. It was Sunday night, so we thought it would be quiet. But it looks like Limenos like to celebrate and enjoy themselves. The park was again filled with families, some with young kids on their bikes or roller skates. Young and older couples just sat around enjoying the evening and in the little arena where we had seen such great dancing on Friday evening, there was a group of people singing, all gathered around one guitar player. They all sang what sounded like traditional songs. Some danced, other just clapped along. It was just a wonderful way to spend our last evening in Lima.
I leave you here with a little video of dancing in Kennedy Park on Friday evening. This gives you a very good idea of what it was like to be there.
So now, we have to say good bye to Lima. One week has gone by so quickly, and we know we barely scratched the surface of this wonderful city. Of all the memories, the one of Limenos in the parks has to be my favorite.
Adios Lima! and Cusco, here we come!