It took quite a while for our driver to get through the hell-hole that is Lima traffic. There may be traffic laws, but they are paid no mind by Peruvians. It is staggering to us that we never saw an accident or fender bender, because there were plenty of opportunities for it.
It took about 45 minutes to get downtown and pick up our guide, Maria. Her English is excellent, and her manner was very friendly. As typical with guides, Carol made fast friends with her by asking lots of smart questions. Honestly, I'm not sure if I annoy guides by taking lots of photos, both for the blog and for the 12x12 Shutterfly photo books I do, but Maria didn't seem bothered.
Our first stop was in the Coastal district of Miraflores. Traffic was much calmer there. The weather was quite foggy over the ocean, but we were able to see lots of people surfing the Pacific waves.
Maria took us to Love Park, which was inspired by Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona. Perched on cliffs high above the ocean, it's a very dramatic setting and brilliantly done homage to Gaudi.
For those who have not read the Barcelona parts of the blog, Carol and I consider Gaudi to be the greatest architect of all time. Why? Well, because he is!
Anyhow, it's not an exact copy of Park Guell, and doesn't need to be. Opened in 1993, Love Park is a wonderful collection of tiled low walls that swoop with the imagination, flowers, locks of love, magnificent views, and an interesting sculpture of the park architect passionately kissing his wife.
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