Arequipa

Last week I made a trip to Arequipa, Peru's second largest city (which nonetheless boasts about a tenth of the population of Lima), about half an hour by plane south of Cusco. I got to stay with family of a friend from MD, and they were wonderful hosts.

Check out the view from my bedroom window. They put me up in their rooftop apartment which overlooks the whole city. Cool, huh?




Arequipa is home to the Santa Catalina monastery, a huge labyrinthine complex with "streets" named after cities in Spain. I did not hire a tour guide, but preferred rather to wander around on my own. I did, however, continually run into French- and German-speaking tour groups. My German was good enough to mutter "entschuldigung" when I squeezed past them.

Another corner of the monastery. Probably one of the world's best places for hide-and-seek. And I love those colors!







One of many, many kitchen facilities hidden inside. And almost all the rooms had these funny staircases leading nowhere.