Cusco Town

Lazy start to the day, beginning with a delicious breakfast at the hotel, which we explored a bit more, finding a really lovely chapel that they had inherited when the monastery was disbanded and Orient Express restored the buildings and opened it as a – very special – hotel.

 

 

 

Cusco is divided into the Historic area – Unesco supported and very lovely, and The Rest.  

 

Sooooo many churches – first  to the main square, where the charge for the Cathedral (three churches combined) seemed a bit steep, so we headed for San Francisco Square, and wandered through a large Inka gate, later re-designed by the Spanish, and went off-piste in to the ‘real’ town, in the St Pedro’s area.  Here we found THE best indoor market ever, anywhere - words fail me!       

 

 

 

 

So much produce I had never even heard of – grains, herbs, ten varieties of corn,  so many colourful fruit and veg, - did you know Peru was the source if the spud??! Avocados to die for….

And more Ladies in Hats – now we find white toppers with embellishments.

 

 

 

 

 

Back towards the posh part through such interesting streets

And despite the publicity, at no time did we feel in the least insecure or threatened.  Popped into an Inka museum, very interesting, but no photos again, set in a lovely courtyard building – couldn’t resist this photo of a ceiling

Then via Starbucks (yes!!) with a lovely view of the cathedral square –

 

 

 

then back to the hotel to regroup, where Mick read in Lonely Planet that we did have to “do” the Catheral, because its fine art collection (depending on your taste)  includes a work portraying the Last Supper feasting on a Guinea Pig ( a local delicacy that we forewent!)!!  En route back there, we found a great section of the Inka walls of the City, and lots more interesting things.

At the cathedral, we paid our dues, only to be told NO CAMERAS, so here are a couple we snuck.  For us, it was somewhat overblown and soulless, but it did have few nice bits – loved the conquistador, setting such a good religious example, sword out to slay the infidels!!

 

 

 

Then a quick snorter at a bar with a great view of the main square (til the rain and cold drove us indoors), picked up the laundry, and hied us to a free show at the Municipal Theatre, a fine, well-restored building

Sadly, the show was  a video, all in Spanish, of a pop-group leading up to the day the end of the world was prophesied, 12/12/12 -  they were pretty dire, so we left early and headed for supper – a hamburger joint that had looked good on the recce, but wasn’t - frankly we were so knackered, who cared??!!  The café’s best feature was its Loo signs

And so to bed…..