Cusco, the capital of the Incas and the longest continuously inhabited city in South America, became our home for the week. We booked a room in an apartment-hotel on the hillside of San Blas reachable only on foot via an unending set of stairs. You would not think stairs would matter to our athletic Colorado family, but Cusco is at 11,000 feet. We soon became accustomed to the elevation and settled in our new home.
We all attended 4 hours of class a day at Amauta Spanish School. Jay and Christy took classes together and the boys each had their private instructors. The teachers were wonderful and they also had several who were great at teaching kids. They played games, did drawings and went on field trips to the chocolate and cultural museums. We still butcher the language, but know enough to get around. We will be in Spanish speaking countries for 2 months and hope to take another week of Spanish in Chile. This is the way to learn a language!Cusco is a vibrant travelers paradise and reminds us of Nepal. It is an old city with narrow cobblestone streets, splendid churches, Inca ruins and centuries of history. Not to mention that it is the “Navel of the World”, according to Incan beliefs. Most of the buildings appear decrepit from the outside with clay walls and tin roofs, but inside are quite lovely. Because of its elevation, it is chilly and the buildings are only heated with space heaters (because of the clays walls). Even though it is summer in Cusco everyone lives in their alpaca sweaters, scarfs, hats, mittens and socks.
Cusco caters to the trekkers and visitors headed to Machu Picchu. Diverse restaurants abound that serve the local drink of Pisco Sours, which taste like a margarita but is made from grapes. Shops line the streets and alleyways selling everything from junky trinkets to high end baby alpaca wool clothing. 
Our days in Cusco were spent in Spanish class until 12:30, followed by excellent lunches and exploration of ruins, churches and museums or just relaxing in the apartment. A highlight was our climb to Sacsaywaman (pronounced like sexy woman!) above Cusco. This immense ruin was once a religious and military base for the Incan people. Their building techniques were impressive as they assembled large rocks together without mortar and in a way that withstands the frequent earthquakes. Luke and Ryan enjoyed exploring some dark caves and a natural slide of polished rock at the ruins.
