Busy Week with Guests!

It's been such a lovely time visiting with our friends Madelle and Larry, but then we were talking and realized that already we couldn't remember exactly what we have done everyday. So back to Picasa and a look at the daily fotos to do some note taking!

Wednesday, 4/20 – late night arrival. We were like a couple of kids...

we were so excited to be going to the airport to meet our very first international visitors to our new home. After a couple of glasses of wine, it was time to hit the sack for some rest. Our guests had been traveling for something ridiculous like 19 hours!

Thursday, 4/21 – After a relaxing morning with great conversation, we headed down to Larco Mar with the idea in mind to do their buffet in order to begin to introduce our friends to the great variety of wonderful foods of Peru. Unfortunately we found that they were not offering the buffet because of holy week. Huh? Although I was very disappointed by this, we managed to create our own variety by ordering ceviche and a bunch of starters to share. Add some Pisco Sours and it was pretty damned good. And of course we got to show them the awesome view out over the Pacific Ocean. After all that food, we managed to walk back up to the center of Miraflores and stop for coffees at La Favorita. Gene and Larry grabbed a taxi back to the house with a supply of wine, while Madelle and I walked through Parque Kennedy and had a pleasant walk up the boulevard to home.

Friday, 4/22 – Back down to the Malecon for a nice walk along the cliffs and a stop at Parque del Amor (Park of Love) for photo ops and more looking at the ocean. This was all followed by Pisco Sours at Haiti. I can't remember where/what we ate that day, but think it may have been the day that we went up to Tanta for eats in the evening and then enjoyed the beautiful walk back home through Parque de los Olivos.

Saturday, 4/23 – We did the tour of Huaca Pucllana, which is a fascinating piece of history 2 blocks from our house. A great tour for 10 soles, too. I think everyone enjoyed it and learned some things. We hadn't been there in a couple of years. After this we had a nice walk down to Jose Pardo and over to Parque Kennedy. In the evening, we had a great Italian meal at La Bodega de la Trattoria, also in easy walking distance from our house. On the walk home we got to see Huaco Pucclana at night, which was another interesting photo op.

Sunday, 4/24 – Madelle and I strolled through the Indian Market in search of the perfect small purse for traveling. It took a while, but we found it. She is now ready for her solo trip to Machu Picchu! After our little shopping expedition, we stopped by el Mercado de Surquillo for lunch. From the amazing number of offerings of fabulous food, we chose to share a causa and deep fried trucha, which turned out to be perhaps the most delicious fish I have ever eaten in my life. We decided we would have to return next week to do this wonderful experience again, and bring Larry and Gene along. Meanwhile we took home some beautiful cabrito (goat) and pato (duck) for them.

Monday, 4/25 – Not only can I not recall what we did on this day (I know we did something and ate somewhere!) but it appears that I also did not take any photos. So someone is going to have to remind me of what this day was all about!

Tuesday, 4/26 – Madelle left early in the morning for her trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu. We are all very excited and looking forward to hearing her stories and seeing her pictures, since we can't go! Neither Larry nor I would be able to breath up that high. And Gene had at first said that he was going to go along and then, thinking about the amount of walking and climbing, changed his mind. Again, I'm pretty sure that Gene and Larry and I did something during the day, but it appears that I took no photos and therefore cannot remember what! Maybe Larry took some pictures and will be able to remind me! I think it must have been this day that Larry and I walked through the Indian Market to do some shopping and then met up with Gene for coffee after his doc appointment. Larry bought a beautiful scarf for Madelle.

Wednesday, 4 27 – Larry and Gene and I spent most of the afternoon wandering through the Museum of Archeology, Anthropology, and History in Pueblo Libre. This is one of the few museums that Gene and I had actually been to before and it is awesome. I need to get busy and get out there to see the other hundred or so museums on my list of things to do and see.After all that museum walking, we needed to rest and have a cold drink, so of course Pisco Sours were in order at the charming old nearby bar called Antigua Taberna Queirolo. We'd like to go back there soon. Cool place for drinks and snacks. When Madelle heard about it and saw the fotos, she informed us that she wants to go to this cute bar for pisco sours one afternoon, too, so I think we'll be back!

Thursday, 4/28 – Nice day for a walk. We had talked about doing another museum, but didn't get around to it. Later in the afternoon we went for a really nice walk, over to Ovalo Gutierrez, down Comandante Espinar to Jose Pardo, then down to the Malecon and along it til we got to Punta Sal, where they refused to invite us in and feed us lunch just because it was after 5 o'clock! So off we taxied to La Favorita for sandwiches and a visit with our “people,” as Larry has come to call our friends there.

Friday, 4/29 – As we anxiously awaited Madelle's return from Machu Pucchu, we enjoyed a nice lunch at one of the neighborhood “menu” restaurants over on Petit Thouars. Nice sitting outdoors and chatting over nice ensaladas de palta (avocado salads) and fried fish. Including rolls and fruit drinks this place charges a whopping 8 soles ($3 US or so)! In the evening, after Madelle's return, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite Italian places 5 blocks from our house, El Bogedon. The trip to Machu Picchu went totally smoothly and met or exceeded Madelle's expectations. We were all excited to see her and hear about the trip. We'll get to see her photos later.

Saturday, 4/30 – The Mothers' Day craft exposition in the park was pretty disappointing, but we enjoyed looking at all the paintings along the sidewalk. This was followed by a jaunt down to Chorillos for lunch at Los Pescadores, the little fish shacks on the beach. This is some of the best fish around and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, sitting out on the little porch drinking beer and eating fried fish (after the starter of ceviche). It was disappointing to see that the area is now fenced off and we realized later that, although we could have walked around the complex to get to the beach for a walk, we didn't do so. Just the fact of fencing it off from the beach made us forget about a beach walk. Sad. Wonder why they have done this.

Sunday, 5/1 – As we had promised last week, Madelle and I took Gene and Larry to the food fair at the market for some of that fabulous fish. We had raved so much about the fried trucha that all of us ordered the same thing. And where M and I had shared one portion last week (and also a portion of causa), this week we each ordered one. So of course nobody really had room to try other things. And then we got our fish and it was corvina! We now know that we had got the trucha the week before because, due to holy week, the markets had run out of the corvina (sea bass) and so the cook used the trucha. We also now know (for next week!) which booth always has the trucha! The atmosphere at the food fair is run. I'm thinking I may have to go there every week end. They are there Friday through Sunday every week and I think have some of the best food offerings around (and a nice selection, too) at great prices. We even got 5 sol pisco sours!

Monday, 5/2 – This was a “maintenance” day. Larry went to the airline office and took care of changing his return ticket. Gene went to Clinica Good Hope for his physical therapy appointment. The fun part of the day was meeting up with our friend Ron from New Hampshire for coffees at La Favorita. In the evening we went down the street to the grill. Of course I had warned Madelle that the only thing without meet on the menu would be the avocado salad, but she was ok with that. Then the waiter told us that the soup of the day was vegetable and that there was no meet in it, so she decided to try it. She was a real trouper about it as she picked out the pieces of chicken bones!!!

Tuesday, 5/3 – Madelle and Larry and I had a great time walking around Barranco, the plaza, the famous Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs), gawking at the incredible old homes. And we stopped at a really charming little restaurant right on the park, where they actually offered 3 types of fish, along with several other items, on the menu. For 8 soles each, we ate like kings again. In the process of the afternoon, the three of us discovered that I need to live in Barranco, so we had news to tell Gene, who had stayed home to paint today, on our return home! We also walked by another restaurant, which looked cute and had a very interesting looking buffet at lower prices than the norm so we are thinking that another trip to Barranco is in order. In the evening, we hopped on the bus up to the Parque de la Reserva to see the fabulous lighted fountains. Desafortunadamente, Laurie had failed to notice that the fountains are only open Wednesday to Sunday (gasp!), so although we had an interesting bus ride up and back, we plan to repeat it tomorrow night. After returning to Miraflores, we checked out a new (to us) Italian restaurant which friend Ron had suggested, right near Parque Kennedy. We had passed by it many times and ignormed it because I had thought it looked too “touristy.” Now we know that it is a really cool little place with very good food at reasonable prices. We will be back. It occurred to me that Italian always seems to be a good choice, as far as everyone finding something that they really like. Madelle is a vegetarian and Larry does not care for ceviche and some of the other Peruvian specialties like papas huancaina, so some places don't work well for us.

I plan to do some editing on this post later on when I have time to look it over and remember some more stuff. Also now that I've got this far on it, I will go back and post some pictures from each day.