Happy 475th Birthday to Lima

It was our first weekend in Lima, when deciding to visit the old colonial center of the city, we happened to stumble across a rather magnificant parade in honor of the 474th anniversary of the founding of Lima by Francisco Pizzaro.  It featured people in costumes from all of the regions of the country as well as dancing, giant puppets, stiltwalkers, and Chinese dragon, and more.
We've stumbled across a few other parades since then, particularly in Cusco, where they seem to be a weekly event.
Still, the Lima birthday bash parade remains a favorite, and Valerie was determined to catch it again this year. Britt begged off. And Addison was in a plane returning from the US. So, Valerie went by herself.
Unfortunately due to a glitch, she arrived not in time for the parade itself, but rather for a series of festivities that followed. Luckily, there were still plenty of people around, including a number of parade participants, so all was not lost.
And on top of that, the Cow Parade (see earlier post) is still going strong. So, she managed to catch a bit of both. (Stay tuned for more cow photos, later.)

One note about all of this. A wise friend of ours, who is married to a diplomat and has lived in numerous different countries as an expat for over 20 years, told us that it is when you start repeating rituals and holidays in a country that you start to settle in. There is something to that. It helps you take the measure of how many things that seemed so new and different are beginning to seem more familiar.

One year

It was just about exactly one year ago this weekend that we moved to Lima from DC.

They say the first year is the hardest.

Here is a brief tally of some things we did in year 1:

Went to Machu Picchu, of course (twice, in Valerie's case)
Entertained 8 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 15 houseguests
Learned to surf (well, not Valerie)
Went paragliding
Ate kilos of ceviche
Survived Lima traffic
Made some terrific friends
Adjusted to having a live-in maid (well, maybe not Valerie)
Flew over the Nasca lines
Saw Humboldt penguins
Learned to distinguish between a llama and an alpaca
Met lots of hairless Peruvian dogs
Got up close and personal with an anaconda
Went for a wild dune buggy ride and tried sandboarding
Hiked to a receding glacier at 4,800 meters of altitude
Kayaked among flocks of pink flamingoes
Started to explore the Peruvian desert, alteplano, and Amazon jungle - though there's tons more to do

So, we're looking forward to more adventures in year 2 - and hoping that lots of friends and family will come join us (we have tons of space and welcome your visits).

North and South

Because they are still on vacation, Britt, Jeremy, and Addison got a chance to visit with family and go skiing in and around Seattle, WA.  They say the skiing was very icy - no problem for these guys, as accustomed as they are to East Coast skiing conditions. Britt's brother Jon had more trouble - that's what he gets for skiing so much powder all his life...

The skiing was icy but the weather was clear..

enough for a great view of Mt. Ranier.

They've upgraded the mountaintop restaurant.

Gwinner cousins, two generations of them.

Meanwhile, back in Lima...

After days and days of grey weather, the sun has finally made a welcome appearance. Valerie is back at work, but did get to enjoy the pool Saturday afternoon.

Holidays in DC

We ended 2009 and celebrated Christmas in DC with family and friends. Thanks to the record snowstorm shortly before the holidays, there was still plenty of snow for Christmas along  with a bright blue winter sky. Very lovely.
Though life in Peru as expats has its benefits and excitements, it's a true joy to return to the familiar of DC and warmth of so many good friends. Here are some photos:

DC in the snow

Christmas and New Years with friends and family

Since we happened to be between renters, we celebrated New Years Day with a party in our empty house. It was a bring-your-own-chair sort of affair.