Arequipa

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Arequipa is a busy and relatively affluent city when compared with much of Peru. The centre of activity is the main square, the Plaza De Armas, with the cathedral flanking one end and the elaborate Compañia church at another corner. We sat and drank fresh juices on an upstairs balcony of one of the many cafes, had a great view of the Plaza and watched the world go by. The cathedral was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 2001 but has been restored completely, including the rebuilding of one of the bell towers. Thursday was the festival of Corpus Christi and we watched hundreds of school children creating elaborate artistic designs with different colours of sawdust on the ground in the Plaza to commemorate the festival. There was a procession in the evening and the Archbishop of Arequipa addressed the people in the Plaza - it was completely packed.

We also visited the Santa Catalina Monastery, built in the 1570s and opened to the public in 1970. It's like a town within a town, with 80 houses for the nuns, its own streets and gardens. The walls inside are bright blue, terracotta and white sillar stone, an interesting combination of colours, or a bit gawdy depending on how you look at it!

Arequipa is surrounded by volcanoes, notably the cone-shaped El Misti. We went up to a viewpoint at Yanahuara to see the city set against the backdrop of this huge dormant volcano, 5821 metres high.

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Comments

[Jen]

A little late I know..
Love the bib - bet you wear it at home now!