Peru - Central Lima - Part 2

(Continuing from Part 1 of my post on Central Lima)  After visiting the Plaza Mayor, I wandered over towards the park area near the river.  On the way, I stopped to gaze at the Basilica de San Francisco.  I had hoped to visit the catacombs there, where there is an odd display of human bones arranged neatly in circles.  Alas, the tour would have taken more time than I had, so I had to forgo the experience. I did get a few nice pictures of the church, though.

 Pigeons

Interesting indoor detail

The Parque de la Muralla (Park of the Wall) is just a block away from the church.  It's built along the old Spanish wall that was built to protect the city. In addition to the remains of the wall, there are ruins from 16th Century buildings.  It's one of those odd places where the past meets the present in a jarring manner. 

My favorite thing about the park is the view of Rimac, the area of town named for the river that runs along Central Lima.

 Avian Photo Bomb!

Next came lunch.  I ate in a tiny cafe right next to the park, where I had a nice conversation with the server.  He wanted to practice his English, while I was trying out my meager Spanish.  Like many people I met in Peru, he was surprisingly interested in my American-ness.  

I think that meal may have been my favorite one in Peru. It was fairly simple - just arroz con pollo with a Coca-cola - but it was delicious.  I tend not to take pictures of food, but in hindsight I regret not photographing that meal.  I did, however, photograph the cafe - and the Coke!  I was ridiculously grateful for every single sugar-not-corn-syrup Coke I could get my hands on in Peru.

After lunch, it was time for more walking.  I saw some interesting people and sights on that portion of my walk.  

 

 Men's underwear store

As I neared the end of my walk, I came upon an exceptional building which turned out to be a palace known as Torre Tagle. The palace contains two gorgeous courtyards with finely carved details. I took too many pictures, but here are some of my favorites:

Torre Tagle Exterior 

Front courtyard 

Awesome detail 

Rear Courtyard 

Couldn't resist a selfie 

Another awesome detail

The last few blocks of my walk in Central Lima consisted of passing more costumed Peruvians, this time apparently after the parade I had seen beginning earlier.

A couple of hours later I was on my flight to Cuzco. I'll end this entry with a picture I took while flying over the Andes mountains.  So much more adventure to come!