2019-05-31 Casa Andina Premium Hotel, Arequipa, Peru

Breakfast is served by the open courtyard area and gas heaters are used to keep the guests warm in the early mornings
Ever since the earthquake recently in 2016 there have been many practice runs undertaken by everybody in the town incase another disaster occurs. This morning at 10am the sirens started and we all had to assemble in the hotel foyer. The staff went through all the procedures with the guests with one member of the staff being treated for injury. With Arequipa being a very earthquake prone area it is good to see most businesses and hotels have a good procedure in place
Once we left the hotel we noticed quite a few of the staff from businesses nearby were still gathered in the street
Christina our guide arrived and on foot we went to visit some of the main sites in and around the town centre
Arriving at the Plaza de Armas we notice that there was a police presence which we image to be something to do with the earthquake drill
In the centre of Plaza de Armas is a very attractive fountain with a statue of a soldier at the the top
The magnificent Cathedral of Arequipa takes up a whole block of the Plaza de Armas
The Church of Company is a small baroque church noted for it’s elaborate carved facade and very ornate interior
We decide to visit the local market …… these olives looked amazing!!
In Peru there are hundreds of varieties of potatoes as this is a major part of the Peruvian diet
Wonderful fresh fish brought straight from the fishing boats early in the morning
There are many stalls selling meat and sausages here too
Every variety of cheeses to choose from here too
Casa Tristan del Pozo was a grand Colonial home and was built in the late 1700’s
The Baroque mansion is now home to a bank, an art gallery and a small museum
It was time to have a light lunch so we thought we would try Zimgaro
Each of us decided to have the ceviche ……Peruvian ceviche is the best in the world!!
The friendly chef at Zimgaro
Our next stop after lunch is to visit the Santa Catalina Monastery
The large Monastery founded in 1580 takes up a whole block
The Nuns that lived here in the Monastery lived very well with their own rooms and they also had servants
Our guide recommended us to climb the stairs as the view was worth it
It is amazing how close the volcano called Misti is to Arequipa
A group of other volcanoes are not that far away in the distance
The Monastery has also an art gallery
It was time to leave the monastery and make our way back to our hotel
Tonight we try Restaurant Chicha
A Pisco Sour the drink of choice while in Peru!!
Octopus with greens and potato
A fabulous vegetarian dish
A wonderful trio of chocolate delights to finish the evening!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *