Lima (and heading home)

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Note: this will be the last entry for awhile as my trip is complete and now I'm back home to numerous hugs and kisses from my girls. I crammed as much as I could possibly get into 3 weeks and I had a great trip, but 3 weeks away is a bit too long I think (especially for Mikaela, but for me too). Ann is awesome, of course. I've put lots of other blog entries up (for which you didn't get emails). Just click on my name and scroll down and you'll see the whole list (in reverse chronological order). Or, just go to this link:
www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/gtimmermans/ and scroll down.

Lima

In 1532 the Spanish Francisco Pizarro landed in Peru with a force of around 180 men. Conditions were favourable to conquest, for the empire was debilitated by a just-concluded civil war between the heirs to the Inca throne, Atahualpa and Huascar, each of whom was seeking to control the empire.

When Atahualpa arrived, the Spaniards ambushed and seized him, and killed thousands of his followers. Although Atahualpa paid the most fabulous ransom known to history—a room full of gold and another full of silver—for his freedom, the Spaniards murdered him in 1533.

The city of Lima was founded by Spanish Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as the City of Kings. Today nearly one-third of the nation's population lives in this one metropolitan area with near 8 million inhabitants.



In 2008, the Canadian Gerry Timmermans landed in Peru with a force of just 1. Conditions were favourable for beer-drinking and darts, for the Milaflores neighbourhood contained an English-style pub with a dart-board (thee Old Pub). The ensuing duel between Australian, English, Peruvian and Canadian forces was awesome to behold and a Canadian/Peruvian alliance was seen to decimate the English/Australian enemy in a quick, decisive battle.

The victory was shortlived, however, as an ensuing battle less than 24 hours later saw Canadian and American forces ambushed by a newly formed English/Peruvian alliance. The defeat was so overwhelming that it forced the Canadian to flee the country, back to his native Canada.

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Photos

Milaflores Cathedral
around the corner from the Flying Dog (where I stayed)

the Cathedral
at the Plaza de Armas

cathedral at night
at the Plaza de Armas

cathedral
view from the pedestrian street across the plaza

the Plaza de Armas (Presidential Palace)
about to be trampled by a horse and carriage (Presidential Palace in the background)

horse
minus the carriage

security
security around the Presidential Palace is tight, at least 6 tanks and dozens of soldiers patrolled the area.

a Peruvian flag
on the mountainside in view from the Plaza de Armas

Monasterio de San Francisco
Catacombs are built under the monastery, and are said to connect to other catacombs beneath the cathedral and other area churches. The convent's library is world-renowned. The church was completed in 1674.

15 piece band
By fortunate coincidence, this 15 piece band was playing in the Plaza in front Monasterio de San Francisco as I wandered by.

San Francisco church
inside the San Francisco church

Plaza San Martin
this is a panoramic, I'll work on improving the look of this one

Iglesia de la Merced?
this is a vertical panoramic shot so I could get the whole thing in, I'm going to work on this to make it look better

the shoreline
along the beach near Milaflores

the cliffs
along the beach near Milaflores, I had a beer on the patio way at the top there, from which I took the picture of the shoreline