Plaza de armas
by chancay
Cathedral
The Cathedral dominates the north-east side of the Plaza de Armas and sits squarely on the foundations of the Inca Viracocha's palace. The Cathedral was begun in 1550 and completed nearly 100 years later, constructed in the shape of a Latin cross, the three-aisled nave is supported by only fourteen massive pillars. It contains nearly 400 colonial paintings including the Last Supper by Marcos Zapata showing Christ and the Apostles about to dine on guinea-pig, washed down with a glass of chicha! In the sacristy there's a painting of the crucifixion attributed to Van Dyke. Ten smaller chapels surround the nave, with the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, and the Chapel of El Señor de los Temblores (TheLord of Earthquakes) worthy of special attention.
The Cathedrals real magic lies in the mingling of history and legend. It is said that when the Cathedral was built an Inca prince was walled up in one of the towers and that when the tower falls the Inca will emerge to claim his birthright and free his people. After the earthquake of 1950 thousands of believers waited hopefully for the tower to collapse, but despite severe damage they did not, and were later repaired.
Peruvian Cowboys Wear No Boots
by AKtravelers
One of the more amazing thing about our horseback ride through the Sacrd Valley was the paltry footwear sported by our guide, Juan Carlos. In the U.S., serious horse riders wear serious footwear -- cowboy boots for western or fancier boots for English style (pardon my horse fashion ignorance here). But Juan Carlos wore only sandals -- and his caloused feet reveal that this was normal for him. I explained to him that he must be tougher than an American cowboy for doing it this way, but I'm not sure my broken Spanish translated well.
Machu Pichu
by darthmilmo
Due to the magnitud of Machu Picchu, you tend to forget that Machu Picchu was not the Inca capital. We all know today that the capital was Cusco. Nevertheless, Machu Picchu is the best known Inca settlement in the world. No wonder! Machu Picchu is an amazing Inca city with amazing masonry and peculiar architectural techiques. This is one of the must-see wonders in the world. There is tons of info regarding Machu Picchu and the Inca trail on my Machu Picchu page.
(4 hours by train from Cusco to Aguascalientes, then under one hour by bus to the ruins; same timeing in reverse)
My Favourite Pub in Cusco
by Paul2001 about The Cross Keys Pub
The Cross Keys Pub was my favourite of Cusco's many drinking establishments. It basically looks like any other English publike place you might find across the globe that catters to travelers however I found the Cross Keys to be very laid back. The premises are also large enough that even if it is nearly full, you still find a nice quite corner. Most importantly for me, they had satillite TV so I could catch some NFL football while I was there. This seemed to be at odds with other sports watchers since there were few North Americans in the place when I visited for a second time. Europeans just don't get the NFL.
I ate here but I found my cheeseburger to be rather ordinary. There is a full fledge restaurant also in the building under the same ownership however it is expensive by Peruvian standards.
Terrific German and Peruvian Fare!
by Grzybicki about Granja Heidi's
Granja Heidi's was a quaint cafe located in the San Blas area of Cusco - up several steep hills with views from the cobblestone streets overlooking the city. This cute cafe is painted a cheerful yellow and the service is friendly - as it's run by a family. Heidi is apparently the mule - not the owner! Try the steak with spaetzle (german pasta) or the chicken with peruvian sauces. Both were wonderful and the homemade spaetzle made me want to plan our next trip to Germany! The crepes we had for dessert were also terrific - but keep in mind they're huge - two crepes to one order! The bananas and chocolate crepes were especially tasty!
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Picture-perfect! :-)
Plaza de Armas
Finally at Macchu Picchu, with Waynu Picchu behind
Jaime in front of the pools.
