We had one day to experience Lima, so we made the most of it, beginning in the morning with a culinary tour of the city. Lima hosts a rich food tradition with many fusion elements and we had the chance to sample many of them, starting with award-winning coffee and chocolate at Tostaduria Bisetti. The baristas there are truly artists of the foam medium.

We wandered around Barranco, the Bohemian romantic district, although the atmosphere is pretty laid back in the morning. A local cafe served us smoothies made from lúcuma, a fruit that tastes a bit like butterscotch. Our next stop was a local market, featuring stands with a wide variety fish, nuts vegetables, and vibrant displays of fruits — many of them unfamiliar to us. Our guide talked us through the many items that were new to us, and provided tasting samples of six different fruits. Good thing we didn’t have to taste all 4,000 types of potatoes! (Pop quiz: Can you identify the item being held by our guide? It’s not a potato.)

The highlight of our tour was a trip to a cevicheria, Cuatro Gallos, where we prepared our own ceviche and Pisco sours, both traditional Peruvian delicacies. Three parts Pisco, one part each fresh lime juice, simple sugar, and egg white, topped with three drops of bitters. “Fill it to the top” were the instructions. Who knew the kids were such skilled bartenders?

Lunch was a special treat in a gourmet restaurant surrounded by an archaeological ruin in adobe brick that predates the Incas by 1,000 years. Following a tasting menu for the main course, dessert featured four varieties of custard, delectable to both eye and palette.

After the first tour we had barely a moment to gather our things at the hotel before embarking on a second, this one a cultural tour of Lima with our local guide, Ana Sophia, who had met us at the airport in the wee hours of the morning. She is a font of information about of the history and culture of Peru, and we learned about the Inca, Colonial, and Guano periods. Along the way, we saw many public murals, the result of government-sponsored competitions.

She took us to downtown Lima, center of the Spanish power. According to Ana Sophia, Peruvians like three things: food, noise, and the complicated life. Despite the gray conditions outside (Lima is located in a coastal desert topped by a near-perpetual cloud layer), Lima residents are out and about enjoying the temperate climate and each other’s company. We saw a fountain that was once filled with 3000 liters of Pisco spirits free for the taking, in celebration of the mayor-decreed Pisco sour day.

Lima’s architecture reflects European, Moorish, and South American influences, and we saw several churches decorated with ornate silver and gold altar pieces. Beneath one of these lie Lima’s catacombs, a multifunctional construction that serve to absorb seismic waves thus protecting the Franciscan monastery church built above, while simultaneously providing a final resting place for the city’s dead. The monastery also features ornate carved wooden ceilings fit together like puzzle pieces, and a library worthy of Hogwarts holding many dusty 500 year old tomes.

Following the Peruvian tradition of a large meal mid-day and a light dinner, we had sandwiches at La Lucha at the end of our city tour, back in the Miraflores district where our hotel was located. Miraflores is also known for its shopping, which was too good an opportunity to pass up. Turns out Vineyard Vines makes their clothing in Peru, which we scored for a fraction of their cost at home. The park nearby is ruled by a pride of semi-fed cats fed by volunteer locals.

What a day in Lima – all the way to the top, indeed!