Tag Archives: Golden Princess

The Lovelorn Monk Prepares to Jump

For the past six weeks I have presented eighteen blog posts dealing with just our first day in and around Lima, Peru!  We still had one more day of our tour to go.  So, on the morning of March 20, 2015, we exited the Golden Princess at El Callao (the seaport serving Lima) and once again caught up with our tour group.  Our first stop this day was at the overlook above the restaurant El Salto del Fraile (The Jump of the Friar).

El Salto del Fraile Restaurant

Below the restaurant is a stone bridge connecting the mainland with a rock outcropping set amidst some very turbulent waters.  It is here that a legend took hold over a century and a half ago.  A Francisco and even younger Clara fell madly in love.  Clara’s father — a rich and powerful marquis — did not approve, and when the marquis discovered that their girl was pregnant he separated the two lovers by forcing Francisco into a monastery.

The Bridge

The young monk got word to his beloved to meet him.  Alas, the marquis had other plans, on this very day he and Clara had set sail aboard a frigate bound for Spain.  As misfortune would have it, the frigate sailed past the very point upon which the waiting monk stood, and the two lovers glimpsed each other.

Raging Waters

Distraught, Francisco threw himself into the raging water below.  Having witnessed the certain death of her lover, Clara also jumped into the sea from the deck of the frigate.  Neither survived.

Crashing Waves

But that’s the legend.  When this monk jumps, he manages to afterward climb back up the cliff with the help of a strategically placed rope.

A Dripping Wet Monk Walks Back — Note the rope to the right

Unfortunately I was positioning myself for better lighting and angle when today’s “Francisco” made the plunge.  Below are a few more of the photos I took here:

Pounding Surf

Turbulence and Rock