Yikes, there was an earthquake last night. Just a reminder that we have been spending the last nearly 4 weeks in an area more earth-quake-prone than California!
We start the day with what Blanca has told us is a REAL Lima breakfast: chicharrones, tamales and bread. We treat for breakfast and Aldo joins us. There is some discussion about what we should have to drink. Blanca insists that we should NOT have cappuccino because the milk in it will FIGHT with the pork. She really has some weird ideas. She is very superstitious and she regularly makes veiled bigoted comments. I think we are both happy that this is the last morning we will spend with her.
We visit the Larco museum which is a private collection of pre-Columbian art.
It is housed in an 18th century mansion built over a 7th century pre-columbian pyramid. (Although almost ALL of Lima is built on top of ancient ruins!) The exhibits are incredible. If only Blanca would shut up and let us enjoy the incredible collection in peace. There are textiles and more than 40,000 of ceramics. The collection of gold is amazing including huge funerary masks and elaborate earrings. There is a Moche erotic pottery collection that will cause even the most liberated individual to blush. Here is a hilarious blog about the museum complete with pictures of the erotic pottery: http://www.everywhereist.com/the-larco-museum-lima-peru/#more-5538. Now I wish I could write like that! The weird part about the erotic collection is that these are NOT old pots–they were made by the founder of the museum supposedly based on his research of the Moche pottery. Sounds fishy to me…
Thankfully we only had to endure Blanca for the morning–we were free in the afternoon and evening to drink French wine, eat great bread and cheese and relax at home.