PERU DAY 6

Read the rest of our Peru adventure here

When the roar of the big city calls, the Penny Press answers. For the final stop of our trip, we jetted over to Lima, Peru’s stunning capital and largest city (and formerly of the Spanish colonial empire). For a vacation packed with so much history and adventure, this dynamic metropolis felt the most like home. Probably because of all the Starbucks locations.

The multicultural city is home to a third of the country’s population, and it’s easy to see why. This vibrant city mixes a 3,000-year-old history (peep those 200+ archaeological sites) with a richly diverse and innovative culture. It’s the only coastal capital in South America – and unofficially, the continent’s culinary capital. Lima is broken into 43 districts, each with a distinct personality. We were lucky enough to explore a few of them.

Driving along the coastal highway toward our hotel, our introduction to Lima was the Miraflores district, an upscale neighborhood named for its lush parks and gardens. This area instantly reminded us of Miami: southern hemisphere edition. The cosmopolitan skyline contrasted with dramatic seaside cliffs to symbolize the city’s diversity – both in its geography and population. The polished yet commercial neighborhood felt very different from the historic architecture we’d been used to on the trip. You can tell the area attracts plenty of tourists – our hotel, the Belmond Miraflores Park, was one of many nearby. The ocean vistas and rooftop pool made us feel like characters on Suite Life on Deck – we wished we were staying for more than one night!

No 2022 travel would be complete without mentioning COVID… We had a timed appointment for tests to get back into the US the next day, so we had to make do with a quick lunch. We found a casual spot in a shopping center overlooking the beach. It probably wasn’t the best place to try the city’s famous ceviche, but anything is better than Midwestern seafood.

With a full week of educational tours under our belts, we told ourselves we got a hall pass when we asked our tour guide to shorten our session a bit. Clocking in at only a couple hours, this was Annabelle’s favorite tour of the trip: a nice and condensed – yet informative – promenade through the spirited streets of Lima’s UNESCO-protected old town. We were in awe at the eclectic architecture, all in the same few blocks: from Baroque to Brutalist to Art Deco. It was surprising  to see the aforementioned Starbucks and shopping malls housed under Roman-style facades. The characters around were just as colorful a bunch, with street performers and tourists alike making up what our tour guide called “the real Lima.”

After strolling through the city’s main public square, Plaza San Martín, we hit up the most impressive spot of the day: Casa Aliaga. This stunning colonial-style mansion is apparently the oldest private house in the Americas, and has stayed in the same family for 17 generations. The Aliagas still live there, but for inquiring minds, we checked: their attractive son is already cuffed. Sigh, we wouldn’t have minded him putting an anillo on our fingers. 

The mansion was like stepping into a time portal of well-preserved design trends spanning hundreds of years. Each room was more impressive than the last, but our favorite was the open-air hallway wrapping around an imposing tree. It felt like a tiny Spanish square tucked away in the middle of the home. Casa Aliaga itself feels just as secretive – for being such an artistic and historic jewel, the home itself is hidden behind an unassuming door next to a convenience store.

To conclude our eventful day (and entire trip!), we spent our last night wandering around the artsy Barranco district at our guide’s recommendation. Its dimly-lit streets of swaying palm trees and candy-colored colonial homes reminded us of a movie set. The bohemian neighborhood was once a 19th century beach destination for the Peruvian elite – and now a hipster’s paradise for art galleries and cocktails. Us kids went for a sister sip at the rooftop bar of Hotel B, a funky boutique hotel/gallery. With its sleek clientele and vaguely erotic paintings, we almost felt too normie to be there – but ended up making friends with a few locals after a couple drinks.

We followed up with an equally cool (and Vogue-approved) dinner a short walk away. In true Midwestern family fashion, we loaded up on bar food at the laid-back Barranco Beer Company. It was a nice way to re-acclimate our tastebuds before going back to KC the next day. Though we didn’t get to try Isolina or Siete, we heard these were both must-tries as well.

To put a literal cherry on top of the trip, we ended our night with some scoops at the Crem de la Crem gelato shop. The gelato melted down our hands as we took a twilight stroll through the area’s fountains, parks, and legendary Puente de los Suspiros. It was the perfect way to end our Peruvian trip – until our father’s questionable navigation skills had us walking back to the hotel on the side of a highway.

We went to bed that night with sweet dreams of the alpacas we met, and the guinea pigs we ate. Until next time, Peru. Adios!