Lima

Our first stop in Peru was the capital, Lima. Lima is a big city with a population of about 8 million and is located along the beach of the Pacific Ocean. 

These two pictures are from the Parque del Amor - the Love Park - which is located a stone's throw from the beach.

Almost all traffic signals had a counter so that you knew how long time you had to cross the street. However, this didn't stop most cars from beeping all the time.

There were instruments measuring the UV-radiation along the beach in Lima. This was pretty good to remind you to use sunscreen and to use one with a high enough protection factor. 

The government house, which was located on the Plaza de Armas.

Francisco Pizarro, the Spaniard who conquered the Incan Empire and founded Lima, is buried in the Cathedral in Lima. The picture above shows the Plaza de Armas with the cathedral and some of the yellow buildings that surround most of the square. The pictures below show Pizarro's tomb and the opposite wall. The walls are covered with small tiles that form the paintings you can see on the walls.

The picture below to the left is from inside the cathedral, whereas the one on the right is of the monastery of San Francisco. As you can see, it's a favorite spot for many of the local birds.

 We were often reminded about where we were going later in the trip.