It was our 40th anniversary. "I'd like to go somewhere romantic," I said. "How about Italy?" "Let's save Italy until we're old," said my husband, Chuck. "Let's go on an adventure! I've always wanted to go to Machu Picchu." And so, the adventure began. We had never traveled in a group before, choosing instead …

Cusco is both a modern and ancient city, but above all, it is charming. And, at 11,200 feet above sea level, it is also a city of deep breaths as well as entrancing vistas. Our hotel, the Marquesas has a helpful staff, lots of hot coca tea (all the better to adapt to the altitude, my dear) and a room on the second floor. It is only our first full …

We learn that tomorrow will be a strike day, these days are set up way in advance, stopping traffic on different roadways, so we will be flexible. Marco has changed some of our travel from tomorrow for today, so we embark on our journey into the Inca valley up to Chinchero which stands at 13,000 feet. At this ancient town we can see the stone …

Strike day, so we stay in Cusco until early evening, a great opportunity to visit the archeological sites close by. Today we learned that the Incas knew all about geometry and knew how to use it. We had heard that the Incas did not use wheels and made some assumptions, but we were wrong. We learned all this at Sacsayhuaman, which is pronounced …

Our alarms were set for 5:00 am, but I awake earlier, too excited about the day ahead to sleep longer. We are taking the early train to Agua Caliente, the destination town to Machu Picchu. The train ride descending to 8,000 feet was another unexpected treat. We followed the Urubamba River down the valley, watching the landscape change from dry …

This morning we have time to explore the town, take a hike or return to Machu Picchu, it is sunny and warm. Chuck goes up to the mountain, I hike and bird watch and explore. There are feeding stations for the birds, but they are eye-dropping observation sites for me. We have only one kind of hummingbird in Wisconsin, in South America, there are …

Last night we said our good-byes to new found friends, dining together and trying not to think of a former kindergarten class pet, order the cuy on the menu to share. I don't know if it really tastes like chicken, being too like one myself to eat more than a bite or two, but it is part of the culture of celebration and we have much to celebrate. …