Foto: Plaza de Armas in Cusco (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Peru - At nine o'clock I’ve arranged to have breakfast at the hotel. Unfortunately, it's raining again today. We walk through the streets of Cusco to Plaza Cusipata. From there, we head toward the main square, Plaza de Armas. At the Cathedral, we buy a combination ticket that also grants access to the art museum and the San Blas Church. The Cathedral actually consists of three connected churches: the Sagrada Familia, the left church and main visitor entrance; the central Cathedral itself; and the Iglesia del Triunfo, the right church and also the oldest of the three. The Cathedral was built from stones taken from Inca structures in and around Cusco. The building is impressive, unique, and well worth a visit. Once outside, we walk through the narrow Inca streets toward the San Blas neighborhood. On the way, we stop for coffee to dry off. We visit the 12-angled stone in one of the Inca walls and enter several churches. On the recommendation of the guidebook, we decide to have lunch in a small local eatery. The recommended restaurant no longer exists, but its replacement serves a good lunch at a reasonable price. After lunch, we take a new photo of the Cathedral from the Plaza de Armas—the one from the morning turned out poorly. We visit the San Blas Church, known for its beautiful pulpit that took 25 years to complete. We also visit the Museo de Arte Religioso with our combination ticket. The museum houses many religious paintings. On the way back to the hotel, we stop for a beer on the first floor of a bar overlooking Plaza de Armas—a great view of the square.
Library of the San Francisco Monastery in Lima
Peru - The city tour takes us to the center of Lima. At Plaza San Martin, we visit the Gran Hotel Bolívar, an 80-year-old luxury hotel that now shows some signs of faded glory. The city tour continues toward the main square, Plaza de Armas. There, we take a ...
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Peru - Four o’clock in the morning. The luggage is wet. Although it is still dark outside, it is dry. No one has really slept well. During breakfast—pancakes—it starts drizzling again. Not a good outlook for Machu Picchu. Wearing raincoats, ponchos on ...
The Uros islands on Lake Titicaca
Peru - In just over half an hour, we sail to the Uros Islands. Along the way, the guide tells us the history of Lake Titicaca and explains that the name is derived from the puma. He even shows how the lake supposedly has the shape of a puma (though that takes ...