(Above: The city of Cusco in the Watanay River Valley, surrounded by the Willkapampa Mountains)

We left Cusco for 3 days to go to the Sacred Valley and down to Machu Picchu and then returned to Cusco for a couple nights before leaving Peru. So we did the following touring on our last 2 days in Peru (November 19 -20, 2013).

Cusco today has a population of ~350,000. It is located in the Watanay river valley with an elevation of 10,800 feet and surrounded by the Willkapampa mountain range with 18,000 to 22,000 foot peaks. The Watanay Valley is strong in gold mining and agriculture, including corn, barley, quinoa, tea, and coffee. The main square, Plaza de Armas, is in the center of Cusco and was an important site where the Inca kings built their palaces and where they celebrated the Sun Festival each year. Where ever you walked in the historical area, you could see the Inca stones in the foundation and lower parts of the building and could see how they leaned inward to the buildings, making them earthquake proof. (See Photos)

The Cathedral is actually three churches together located on the Plaza de Armas. The first, built in 1536 on top of an Inca palace, is an auxiliary chapel, used for special services. The second, built in 1560, is the largest and has the most gold work and a life-size carved wooden choir. The third, is the church used for everyday services. The church is also a museum of local artists' paintings, with over 400 original oil paintings dating back to the 1600s. One of the most well-known paintings is the last supper where they replaced the roast on the table with a roasted guinea pig; hence, merging the cultures of the local indigenous people with Catholicism.

Other Museums & Restaurants: We also visited the Museum of Machu Picchu, the Inca Museum, the Center for Chinchero Weavers, the Plant Museum, an art museum, the Fragna art gallery, and, of course, the craft market. Gail bought some panpipes at the craft market and continues to play them, although she only knows one song. It is just so interesting walking around Cusco and seeing all the buildings built on top of the Inca stones. There are also some great restaurants including the Greens Organic Restaurant (Gail's favorite), Limo (sushi), and Restaurant Inkazuella.

Garden House B&B: We stayed at The Garden House - our favorite hotels on the entire trip. It is a small boutique B&B run by two sisters who are two of the nicest people we've ever met. They were so inviting, helpful, knowledgeable and fun. We so enjoyed their company and all the stories about Cusco and the Inca. One of the best surprises was the 2 little red bulls they gave me as a memento of our trip. There is a special place in my heart for them. If you ever go to Cusco, do yourself a favor and stay at The Garden House! (See Photos)

For Foodies: On our last night in Cusco, we went to a dinner dance show at Don Antonio's which was very energetic and entertaining. The dinner was a large buffet of traditional Andean food, including the coy (guinea pig), considered an Andean delicacy. We finally tasted it and decided it kind of tastes like greasy chicken with a million bones.

More Later - G&T