From Cusco we flew back to Lima. This time we arrived in time for a bus tour of the city. Lima, named the "City of Kings" by the Spanish conquerors, is the country's capital as well as the main gateway into Peru. The city was founded in 1535 by Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro and remained the seat of Spain's New World empire for 300 years. Today, Lima is a sprawling coastal metropolis of 8 million people.

Our first stop in Lima was a visit to the Larco Herrera Museum. This 18th century colonial mansion holds the best private collection of pre-Columbian art in Peru. The displays feature many fine examples of textile work, one of which as a world record 398 threads per inch. Also materials and tools that ancient Peruvians used to produce their work in ceramics and metal.

We proceeded to the historical center of Lima, to the Plaza Mayor where the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace are located. We were fortunate to reach the palace just in time for the changing of the guards.

We enjoyed a delicious gourmet lunch at one of Lima's first colonial mansions. Built in 1535 by Pizarro's treasurer, Don Jeronimo de Aliaga, the Casa Aliaga has been inhabited by 17 generations of the Aliaga family ever since. It was amazing to find such a beautiful home right off one of the busy downtown streets. And since it is not open to the general public, we were honored to be able to visit there.

Once again we stayed at the beautiful Miraflores Hotel. This time we had free time to explore the area and enjoy the views from our room.

But our flight back to Miami the next morning was at 7:15 am so it was an early bedtime and a much too early wake-up at 3:15am. Thankfully the return flights were on time and uneventful, leaving us with very happy memories of our time in Peru. For additional photos of our time in Lima, see the Lima Photo Gallery.

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