Basilica Catedral de Arequipa

After Juanita, we stopped at the cathedral that is the centerpiece of the Plaza. We got a tour of both the cathedral and the museum. The cathedral took major damage in the 2001 earthquake (8.4 on the Richter scale) which toppled a spire which crashed through the roof and barely missed the massive organ inside. It's all been well reconstructed, but wow. Anyway, the cathedral itself is gorgeous, and we were up on the roof by the bell towers just in time for sunset. Very nice indeed. The museum tour showed us many beautiful religious objects, but both Annette and I felt an uneasiness with what felt like an ostentatious display of wealth in an area with so much poverty. On a completely different note, we went to an AMAZING restaurant for dinner. Alpaca- cute, fluffy...and delicious.Read more