I've found that visiting places around the globe clearly reveals that for all our wonderful cultural differences, we are quite similar in many of our essences.
From Dallas to Delhi, Paris to, well, Peru, I haven't noted anything all that shockingly unique in terms of people, parents, children, food, art, gift shops and whatever else.
And I love how being in one place can trigger a recollection of an entirely different place, often on a quite personal level.
In walking around Cusco today--really only from the main square, Plaza de Armas, where my hotel is located, to Qorikancha, a mostly destroyed Incan temple on which a church and convent were built--I was reminded of being in Kraków.
Yes, the city in Poland.
I loved my visit to Krakow in 2013 and it's been on my mind lately because a friend will soon be going there.
But between Cusco likewise having a vibrant main square--in which there were massive celebrations today for reasons I'm honestly too tired to research--a delightfully walkable center and colorful gelato displays, my mind made an ethereal connection, if only for a moment.
Technically I didn't do all that much in Cusco.
My flight from Lima and the taxi from the airport got to my hotel around noon. I took a bunch of photos of the festivities in the Plaza de Armas, took a catnap, did some strolling, had empanadas and gelato in a nicely non-descript shop, spent a couple hours at Qorikancha--it was quite impressive--and dinner at a friend-recommended place called Inkazuela.
I had one of their specialties, Alpaca Stew, which was a bit odd coming shortly after seeing and being photographed with an adorable alpaca.
Though it's not even 9:00pm, I think it's time to call it a night.
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