Peru: San Francisco Church and Convent

We visited two of the most famous Convents in the city center of Lima The San Francisco Convent in one of the most famous in Peru and is in the city center of Lima.
Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside the San Francisco Convent, but I pulled a few off the internet so you can see some of my favorite things. My absolute favorite room was the library. It houses thousands and thousands of antique texts.

(picture from http://www.beautiful-libraries.com/6200-1.html)

One of the other really neat things at San Francisco is the catacombs. The catacombs are located under the cathedral and there are an estimated 25,000 bodies buried there. All the bones were separated out into like piles - skulls all in one section, femurs in another, etc. It was fascinating.
(photo from http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Catacombs-and-Bones-on-Display-San-Francisco-Monastery-Lima-Peru-Posters_i3182762_.htm)

Peru: Inca Market

I heard a lot about the Inca Market prior to my visit to Lima and it surely did not disappoint. It was hands down my favorite part of the trip (besides being with family, of course)! It was so good that I went on three separate occasions and now that I'm back home I am regretting not making a few more purchases there. Good thing my Mom can always go and send me a quality baby alpaca throw or something. :-)
The fascinating thing about the Inca Market is the sheer size of it. There are a million tiny little shops all packed together and it goes on for street block after street block. They sell all kinds of handmade things from all over Peru and I'm sure there would always be something new to discover. Oh, and you also get to bargain. That was definitely Russel's favorite part about the Inca Market. To be honest, I really think his Porteguese helped him out quite a bit on the bargaining front. My Mom and I went one time after Russel had already gone home and we didn't score quite as good deals with our mostly English/trying in Spanish combo. Or maybe he's just a better bargainer than both of us. Either way, we had a great time exploring the shops and finding good deals. I snapped a few pictures, but Russel was pretty insistent that I keep the camera in my purse most of the time. Apparently a huge DSLR camera signals that I'm a tourist and therefore kills my bargaining strategy. In retrospect, not a bad point.
Aren't the colors and textiles incredible? And most of the scarves/throws/hats are made of baby alpaca wool which is oh so soft. Looking at the pictures makes me want to go back and do some more shopping!

Peru: Magic Water Circuit

My mom took us to a fun spot called the Magic Water Circuit. It is a huge park with a lot of really unique fountains. Some are just for looking at, while others can be played in and walked through. After dark is when the fountains really come to life because they are all lit up and are just beautiful. They also have a light show where they project images onto one of the largest fountains and it plays along to music. I thought it was beautiful and even though it was a bit past Natalie's bedtime, there were so many neat things to look at that she didn't seem to mind.
On the way over to the park my mom mentioned how she thought it would be a great place for a wedding reception or for wedding photographs because it provides such a unique backdrop. Apparently she wasn't the only one to think so because while we were there we saw three different brides and one girl there to take pictures for her Quinceanera!

This was my favorite fountain - you get to walk through it! Natalie was fascinated by the changing colors of the water as we went through.

There were tons of kids and teenagers having a great time playing in this fountain. It would be particularly fun in the summer (though it's almost summer in Peru now, come to think of it)!

I thought this one was so fun. It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland!

Here is the girl I mentioned being photographer for her Quinceanera!

This was during the show where they projected the images on the water. After this ballerina they showed a lot of dancers performing traditional dances from all over Peru.

A little blurry, but the only shot of all the girls. Thanks for taking us, Mom!

Peru

The bulk of our trip to Peru was spent hanging out with my family, just as we wanted it to be. Natalie had so much fun running around Grandma and Grandpa's house and mostly enjoyed all the extra attention she received!

Playing and reading with Grandpa
Playing peek-a-boo
Playing the piano with Jonathon. This was a favorite!
I love this picture of Jonathon and Natalie - so sweet.
Lunch with Grandma

My mom and I took Natalie to an "infant park" one day. Apparently "infant parks" are only for children 4 years old and under, so it was perfect for her. The coolest thing there was a permanent trampoline structure that she could run around and play in. It was completely enclosed and she was the only one playing in it at the time. She especially loved the bouncy balls inside the trampoline, which she attempted to carry around like purses. (I'll have to do a separate post about this girl's love for handbags!)

Russ, Natalie and I had a few hours on our own one day and decided to hang out at Larcomar, which is a huge mall that was built right into the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean in Lima. Even though you aren't supposed to swim in the water in Lima, it provided a nice view.
Natalie figured out it is much more fun to push the stroller than ride in it.
I don't know what these women were dressed up for, but I loved how colorful their outfits were.

Jonathon opted to celebrate his birthday a few days early so Natalie and I could be there for the official birthday dinner. Happy 14th Jonathon!

It was so fun to be with my family and especially for me to see Natalie interacting with her Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle. She misses you all!

A Peruvian Thanksgiving

I love traditions. I love the expectation of a specific series of events and the comfort and security provided. Thanksgiving is typically a time of tradition for me, especially when I am celebrating with my parents and we get to do things the same way we have since I was a little girl. This year was a bit different, but I learned that while I will always love traditions, sometimes it can be even more fun to try something new. A Peruvian Thanksgiving was definitely something new.
Obviously, Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Peru, so that created some challenges right off the bat. No cranberries for a delicious sauce, no canned pumpkin (unless you decide to check a few cans in your baggage from the states), not a whole lot of turkey. Fortunately, family is the main ingredient so when Russ, Natalie and I flew in to Lima to be with my parents and Jonathon we were well on our way to a great Thanksgiving.
We ended up attending a huge gathering of American families (mostly State Department families stationed here in Lima) and had a feast. Everyone brought their favorite dishes and, even with about 90 people, there was food to spare. Because it is spring time here, we ate outside in the backyard and many of the kids played in the pool. They also had a little bouncy house with a slide that Natalie loved. I was a little worried she wouldn't like the slide because it was so big, but she couldn't get enough of it! Not my typical Thanksgiving, but so much fun. We had a wonderful time and are so grateful we were invited to participate!

Loving spending time with Uncle Jonathon

Thanksgiving picture with the whole group (We missed you Marc, Rebecca and Gerrit!)