Our guide from yesterday (Liz) from Mountain Lodges of Peru) was kind enough to come back this morning for a second half day Cusco tour. Actually, yesterday's half day tour extended for WAY more that that. We had missed The Museum of the Incas yesterday even with all the time she spent with us! We can't thank Liz enough for coming back. We like her - a lot and were glad to be able to spend some more time with her.
Waiting for Liz I spotted this lady and her llama. She walks around the area of the hotel asking for donations for a photo. Bad Harvey but you have to love a 30 x lens.
One of the seven snakes on the wall of the old convent that is now Palacios Nazarenas Hotel where we are staying. The Inca stone masons snuck some of their sacred symbols into the Christian churches whenever they could.
First order of business was to drop off laundry at a laundromat down the street. They charge 3 Soles per kilo - we had 2.75 kilos. We will be paying about what we would have paid to clean a pair of drawers at our hotel. Pick up after 6:00 please. Fine with me.
We walked over to the Museo Inka which was pretty much a block down the street. Liz bought our tickets and we headed in. Once again, no photographs please. So here is what the museum looked like....
We spent about 3 hours in the museum and it was very informative. Lots of artifacts of many pre-Inca civilizations leading up through the final Inkas. There were displays of textiles and ceramics and gold and silver artifacts for many distinct groups that were assimilated into what was to become the Inka. The earliest people were from 9,000 B.C. up through why mid 1500's when the Spanish conquistadors dismantled the Inka nation and took it for themselves.
As we were getting ready to leave Gayle called us over to a little shop where this guy gave us a demonstration of recreations of old Inka music instruments. They were in many different shapes from the small of a hummingbird to the largest a Toucan. Some you had to blow into and some made sounds just wiggling a water filled instrument around. Here he is not pouring a tea kettle. He is tipping the beak of a bird forwards and then backwards to create the bird's song. Pretty impressive.
Here's a short video of him playing one of the instruments.
Woman weaving in the courtyard of the Inka Museum
Wouldn't want to tote your luggage up these stairs! Check out the car parked on the sidewalk.
Like the blue door.
Liz then took us to Factory La Vicunita where there were juvenile alpaca and Vicuna items at a discount. They explained that if you are buying Vicuna items you must have a certificate of authentication or it will be seized at the airport while leaving Peru. Only a few people can sell vicuna items, strictly regulated and this was one of them. A vicuna scarf goes for 11,000 Soles or $3,826.47. Don't forget the forty seven cents. Also, no one left with any vicuna items but a few purchased alpaca. After we were done shopping we said good bye to Liz - thanks for all you guidance!
Walked down the street and went to a box sandwich shop. Connie and I had a chicken and a beef empanada. Delicious!! While eating at a hidden garden next door we met up with 2 ladies traveling from Atlanta. They had just gotten to Cusco today and were asking where we had gone. I gave Kim ( I hope I remembered right) this blog address and told he to look at what we had done. Release the hounds.......
La Campania.
Walked back to Plaza de Armas where we rejoined
those who took their sandwiches to go. This is Compania de Jesus or La Compania a Jesuit church built in the 16th century. It was hit hard by an earthquake in 1650 and the Spanish church collapsed. The Inca ruin that was used as a foundation for the church stood tall. Interesting.......
This church caused quite the controversy as it threatened to surpass the grandeur of The Cathedral located right around the corner in Plaza de Armas. The Bishop of Cusco complained about the church and it's lavish design. The argument was brought to Pope III to arbitrate. The Pope sided with the Cathedral but by the time to result reached Cusco La Compania was nearly completed. Consequently, the Pope's decision had little influence an the church's Baroque facade rivals The Cathedral.
Statue of Pachacutec in the middle of Plaza de Armas with yet another Spanish church in the background.
The Pachacutec statue has caused much controversy. In 2011 the fountain was covered up and when uncovered this fiberglass statue was revealed on top of the fountain as if bubbling up from it. Many felt that the Plaza de Armas is a colonial monument which requires references to colonial ideals and
the Inka statue throws off the balance. The mayor of Cusco says that the statue celebrates a part of the "Restoration" or Inkanism, or the idea of a Inka identity for Cusco and it's citizens. I agree.
This is the entrance to Museo Inka on the way back to the hotel.
These ladies were sitting on the step outside the Museo.
Our group walking the narrow street back to our hotel.
Rich and Richie on their balcony and Paul is sticking his head out on the right!
Woman weaving in the courtyard of the Inka Museum
Wouldn't want to tote your luggage up these stairs! Check out the car parked on the sidewalk.
Like the blue door.
Liz then took us to Factory La Vicunita where there were juvenile alpaca and Vicuna items at a discount. They explained that if you are buying Vicuna items you must have a certificate of authentication or it will be seized at the airport while leaving Peru. Only a few people can sell vicuna items, strictly regulated and this was one of them. A vicuna scarf goes for 11,000 Soles or $3,826.47. Don't forget the forty seven cents. Also, no one left with any vicuna items but a few purchased alpaca. After we were done shopping we said good bye to Liz - thanks for all you guidance!
Walked down the street and went to a box sandwich shop. Connie and I had a chicken and a beef empanada. Delicious!! While eating at a hidden garden next door we met up with 2 ladies traveling from Atlanta. They had just gotten to Cusco today and were asking where we had gone. I gave Kim ( I hope I remembered right) this blog address and told he to look at what we had done. Release the hounds.......
La Campania.
Walked back to Plaza de Armas where we rejoined
those who took their sandwiches to go. This is Compania de Jesus or La Compania a Jesuit church built in the 16th century. It was hit hard by an earthquake in 1650 and the Spanish church collapsed. The Inca ruin that was used as a foundation for the church stood tall. Interesting.......
This church caused quite the controversy as it threatened to surpass the grandeur of The Cathedral located right around the corner in Plaza de Armas. The Bishop of Cusco complained about the church and it's lavish design. The argument was brought to Pope III to arbitrate. The Pope sided with the Cathedral but by the time to result reached Cusco La Compania was nearly completed. Consequently, the Pope's decision had little influence an the church's Baroque facade rivals The Cathedral.
Statue of Pachacutec in the middle of Plaza de Armas with yet another Spanish church in the background.
The Pachacutec statue has caused much controversy. In 2011 the fountain was covered up and when uncovered this fiberglass statue was revealed on top of the fountain as if bubbling up from it. Many felt that the Plaza de Armas is a colonial monument which requires references to colonial ideals and
the Inka statue throws off the balance. The mayor of Cusco says that the statue celebrates a part of the "Restoration" or Inkanism, or the idea of a Inka identity for Cusco and it's citizens. I agree.
This is the entrance to Museo Inka on the way back to the hotel.
These ladies were sitting on the step outside the Museo.
Our group walking the narrow street back to our hotel.
Rich and Richie on their balcony and Paul is sticking his head out on the right!
The ladies have all headed off for spa treatments and the men are lounging around for a while. Tonight we are going to have a fancy dinner at our hotel. It happen to be Connie and my 27th anniversary so Happy Anniversary to us!
From my balcony!
Heated swimming pool in our courtyard. We may have to hit this tomorrow.
From my balcony!
Heated swimming pool in our courtyard. We may have to hit this tomorrow.
This hotel is something spectacular - service beyond great! I had alerted the hotel in advance by email that today was our anniversary. First off this morning the person at the front desk congratulated us on our special day as we were leaving for our Cusco walk.
Back from a fabulous dinner at Senzo restaurant at Belmand Palacio Nazarenas Cusco with all 10 of the Rediker Travel Club.
About an hour into the dinner they arrived with a gift bag that had a pashmina that I had purchased for Connie on the train to Cusco. I had asked the concierge earlier today if they could package it and deliver it at our dinner.
The hotel presented the table with 2 bottles of champagne with our dinner. When we returned to our room we found a note congratulating us on our anniversary with a bowl full of huge chocolate covered strawberries! So cool. We made the rounds of the other 4 rooms to "share the wealth" (candy wise). I forgot to take a picture of the plate/bowl with the candy until I got to the last room of the candy pass out where Luis took a picture of what was left. I will get that from him tomorrow to post.
All in all a anniversary that I will not soon forget!
Happy anniversary - what a great way to spend it!! Yep - those long lenses definitely come in handy sometimes!
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