Exploring Cusco

Sunday morning we were up and ready to explore the city. First we headed over to the Plaza De Armas in the center of town and lol and behold there was a parade going on. So we sat on the steps of the Cathedral and watched the parade go by. Just another time where we were caught up in the excitment of the day, with absolutley no idea what was happening. We later learned that the celebration was called the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The parade included groups of small children dressed as nurses, soldiers, and clowns, numerous women's groups and bands. We watched for over a hour as the bands kept coming. What would appear to be school bands, army bands and service groups. Lot's of excitement in the plaza.

Then it was time for brunch so we headed over to Paddy's Kitchen. Paddy's Kitchen claims to be the highest Irish owned pub in the world at over 11,000 ft above sea level. The breakfast was the biggest breakfast I have ever seen. 4 slices of toast covered by 2 fried eggs, topped by 4 slices of bacon and 4 saugages, with a side of beans. NO I didn't eat it all, only about 1/3rd and I was still full for the entire day.

Time to wander the streets. Every street was lined with small shops much like in the markets in Mexico. "Come see my store senior, do you want a massage, have your picture taken with the baby llama, buy my art senior". In the end we had our picture taken with the llama but held of buying anything else.

At 2pm we met up with 2 friends from our tour group for more exploring. The cathedral was magnificant with gold plated statues throughout. For the next 2 hours we walked the main road of Cusco, going in and out of the numerous markets and people watching. It was a gorgeous day and we were enjoying the sunshine.

We had been exploring Cusco for over 7 hours and it was time to head back to the hotel for a few hours of rest before supper. Supper at 8, was in a small Australian owned restaurant. Obviously a favorite with the tourists as the restaurant filled with backpackers, all willing to share their stories.

Another amazing day!