Barranco, Peru is south of Miraflores where I stayed while in Lima. It's a little colonial town along the coast now filled with restaurants and bars. It's beautiful, even at night when I was there, and provides tons of little paths and walkways on which you can stroll. I loved the smell of the food and the sound of the music that oozed out of the restaurants as we wandered around. Barranco is known for it's bohemian culture; it's home to artists, musicians, and all sorts of creative types. Old. colonial homes along the paths have been turned into stores, art galleries, quaint hotels, and restaurants. It was a beautiful place to visit and offered me a completely different taste of Peru on the same day that I had visited both Miraflores and Lima.
A key landmark in Barranco is El puente de los suspiros or the Bridge of Sighs. Nicole told me that you're supposed to hold your breath for good luck as you pass across. When in Rome...err...Barranco...
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| Holding my breath for buena suerte (good luck) before heading across El puente de los suspiros. I couldn't have had a better trip, so I KNOW it's must've worked! |
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| In front of the main bridge and church in Barranco. |
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| Iglesia de San Francisco |
This church was a place that fishermen used to go to ask for help as Barranco was first a fisher's quarter. One of the legends that I found says that there was once a group of fishermen that went out to sea, but got lost because of the winter weather conditions. After a few hours lost, they caught sight of a shining object in the distance that lead them home to safety. That object was the cross of the church which became an important symbol to the fishermen.
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| Repairs to reconstruct the church roof in Barranco. |
This is one of the paths or little streets that leads you down to a mirador (lookout point) close to the beach (although this particular view shows the way back up to the bridge). Fishermen used to use this path to go down to the ocean, but today it's mainly lined with restaurants and hiker's hostels.
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| The path down to the ocean with a view back up to the bridge. |
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| The monumento (momument) to Chabuca Granda. |
Chabuca Granda, known for her creole style music, was one of the most important singers and composers in Peru. Some of her most famous songs include "La flor de la canela," "El puente de los suspiros," and "Fina estampa."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoHQ-0s81SI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGvGm6onmDI
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| A restaurant that Nicole told me is famous for another typical, delicious Peruvian dish...the heart of a cow. Umm...let's just say, she was braver than I was. |
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| La biblioteca (library). |
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