Hello, Cusco

As municipal mottoes go, Cusco, Peru has the world beat: ¨Ombligo del Mundo,¨ we saw on a sign outside town as we drove in this morning, ¨Navel of the World.¨
I´m not sure how they came up with this, but I love it.
We arrived, exhausted, and spent the entire day sleeping, then enjoyed a lovely dinner on the Plaza de Armas, the city´s main square. High in the Andes, the weather is pleasant and cool, not humid at all, we thought, but apparently many residents feel that they are in the middle of an intolerable heat wave. Our taxi driver shed layers of clothing on the way in and complained furiously.
We can´t wait to explore the city´s ancient and winding streets, lined with a stunning array of both high-end and bargain-cheap jewelry, crafts and textile stores. One can never have too many international knicknacks.