El Día de Mamá: Let's Walk to the Beach

A non-functional lighthouse atop the cliffs over the Pacific Ocean in Lima

The signs all say that today is El Día de Mamá, Mother's Day on both sides of the equator. The long lines out front of all the restaurants this afternoon say the same thing. The sun and the warm (but not hot) temperatures all say: Beach Day in Miraflores.

Miraflores is an upscale suburban neighborhood within the City of Lima. 

We're not in the Centro Histórico anymore.

Access to the ocean in Lima is very limited and there really is not the infrastructure to walk along the beach. So, instead, in Lima -- or at least in Miraflores -- the "boardwalk" along the beach is up high on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific.

That is Puente Eduardo Villena Rey, which spans one particular opening in the cliffs up to Miraflores.

There is a lot to see on the "Malecon de Miraflores," the Miraflores boardwalk.

Such as this orange thing of modernity:

But once you get close to cliffside, the ocean view is great.

First sight to see:  Parque del Amor. 

It's known for its monstrous kissing statute. 

This is the butt-side view.

It doesn't get much better when you get closer.

And here it is. Full glory. Such as it may be.

But the ocean looks nice from high atop the cliffs at Parque del Amor.

A short walk down the Malecon is Parque del Faro, Lighthouse Park. Which is where we will find: the Faro de Lima.

The Lima lighthouse. It is purely decorative. It does not protect the ships at sea.

There is exercise equipment in many places along the Malecon. Open air exercise with an ocean view.

Then, further down, heading up the coast, is Parque Chino. Chinese Park. Let's see how many Chinese stereotypes we can pack into one little greenspace.

Chinese looking lions guarding the entrance. Check.

Is that a pagoda-roofed building? Check.

Lucky golden rabbit. Doublecheck. Double because you can smell incense burning here.

Pandas. Check. Give an extra check for the cuteness factor.

And the pandas are ride-able. Triple check.

Say is that a koi pond (which is really Japanese not Chinese but who's quibbling?) under the pagoda?

Yes. It is. Check to that, too.

Finally, a Fat Buddha whose tummy is rubbed for good luck? Bingo.

Yes, these all are stereotypes of Chinese culture. But they also are linked symbolically to Chinese culture. And there are a lot of Asian tourists in Lima and a lot of them were resting up at Parque Chino. I didn't see anyone looking offended. So I'm not.

It is now time to descend the cliffs at one of the path openings and head down to sea level.

This is surfer country.

The ocean is cold here because the Humboldt Current coming up from Antarctica affects ocean temperatures more than the equator-proximate location. And the surf is rough. So surfers. Not swimmers.

Well, some swimmers.

But not a huge number for a beautiful day in May. Which, given which side of the equator we are on, means we're deep into autumn.

Lots of people trying to sell me on surfing lessons down there. Not happening. So time to ascend back up the cliffs to the Malecon.

I'm not sure how the physics works, but it is a MUCH longer ascent up the cliffs than it was a walk down the cliffs.

And, carved out of the side of the cliffs in Miraflores is:

Larcomar. An upscale shopping mall. My least favorite kind of shopping mall.

My problem with upscale shopping is the feeling that I don't fit in. I don't share their tastes. I don't want to sport those brands. I don't want to pay those prices. I'm not one of them. But, looking at me feeling like I don't fit in to all this upscalery, to most of the people in the world -- and most of the people of Lima and Peru -- I'm just another face in the upscale crowd. In other words: get over myself.

Let's end on a place where I do feel like I fit in: a Catholic church:

Nuestra Señora de Fátima. Our Lady of Fatima. In Miraflores. Just a little too far inland for an ocean view.

Phot-o' the Day: Nazaré Lighthouse, with Wooden Ducks; Nazaré, Portugal

Nazaré, Portugal, is known for having the largest surf-able waves on Planet Earth. It also has a funicular and one of the absolute best gelato stands anywhere (Gelatomania on the main street along the oceanfront). Either of which alone would be reason enough to visit. Then you consider the fact that Nazaré has both and you would have to be wondering why you are not there on Portugal's Atlantic Coast.

Need another reason? The Farol da Nazaré, the Nazaré Lighthouse. Excellent views of the ocean, including the mega-waves that hit town usually in November. The Farol da Nazaré also had a bunch of wooden ducks placed about the stone walls of the lighthouse/fortress. "Why?," you ask. Some people see wooden ducks on stone walls at a lighthouse and ask why.  I dream of wooden ducks that never were and ask why not. (Actually, I'm more likely to dream of metal animal sculptures that never were and asking why not about those, but wooden ducks will work, too. I'm sure Robert Kennedy wouldn't mind me appropriating his quote.)

Visited September 2017.

Split Day One: Down on the Riva

Yes. This really is Croatia.

Is this heaven? No. It's Croatia.

So we are here in Split, on Croatia's Dalmatian coast. The Adriatic is blue. The palm trees are green. And my skin is getting red because the sun is still hot into September.

After an exhausting few days, where we never really got the chance to recover from jet lag in Munich, today was a "wake up when you wake up" sort of day. I had agreed to meet the Sister and B-I-L for breakfast at 10:30 a.m. I was awakened that morning by loud knocking on my door at 10:40. What a good night's sleep.

Through the narrow streets to the Riva we go

The Azur Palace hotel is only a few blocks inland from the Adriatic.

If you look closely (or enlarge the picture), you can see the Sister snapping a photo of the Statue

After eating breakfast, we decided to walk down to the waterfront to check out our options for the day. Along the Adriatic in the Old Town section of Split is a waterfront promenade called "the Riva."

On the Riva

This is the part of town where the cruise ships and Croatia's massive Jadrolinija ferry-boats land.

Small boats in front, big boats in the back

Small boats in front, big boats in the back (again)

Small anchor in the front, big boats in the back

It's wide open.

West end of the Riva

Not much parking available

This is the part of town where you can sign up for all the fun things us tourists can't get enough of. Excursions to the islands. Sea kayaking. Water taxi. Sister and B-I-L opted for a two-hour Segway tour.

Segway tour stand

They were the only ones of their tour and they had an absolutely great time. I opted to go the museums on the Marjan Peninsula, about a 20 minute walk away.

View of the Riva walking westward toward the Marjan.
The Bell Tower within Diocletian's Palace is the tall building in the center of the photograph.

 Both of us had more fun than a boat tour where we'd be packed onto the boat like sardines. Like this:

Boat cruise

And while we wait for me to write up my museum excursion, I leave you with a picture of the Split lighthouse and a Croatian flag in the foreground.

Lighthouse in Split harbor