Arriving to Cusco, I was delighted to see the end of the bus journey. We would have 4 days in the city which used to be the capital for the Incas. The first two of which I spent in bed. Before delving into the architectural and cultural gems of the city, I should mention a certain football game that we watched in Paddy O`Flaherty`s Irish Pub. I know there will be some Chelsea fans reading this, so I think I should stop here. But I won`t. Have you heard that Nike have asked John Terry to model their new range of football shows……There called slippers!Anyway Cusco is a fantastic city, though a little touristy. It is one of South Americas most popular tourist destinations and reasonably so. The streets are almost all cobbled, and the main plaza is fantastic with a couple of cathedrals. When the Spanish Conquistadores took Cusco they built on top of all the Inca sites. The result of this is that many of the buildings have a fantastic old stone work foundation that is visible. The narrow cobbled streets are packed with shops and artisans and could warrant a solid day of aimless wandering. The other sights of the city include a number of churches and museums. In the hills above the city is the Inca ruin of Sacsaywaman. An old Inca fort overlooking the town, giving spectacular views of the main square and the surrounding hills. The ruin is equally impressive, with the majority of the stone walls intact. It is quite a big sight and definitely worth a visit. However, it is quite a long and hard walk up there, so do as I did and take a taxi!! There is a huge grass square in the middle which is used for various local celebrations throughout the year, and it was surprisingly relatively quiet when I was there. We spent four days in the city, and a couple of the days were Christian holidays. With a huge catholic community, the narrow cobbled streets were teeming as processions carrying the Saints wound their way into the main plaza and to the Cathedral. I was also lucky enough to be treated to a meal in one of the best restaurants in South America, by some relatives of mine who were on holiday in the city at the same time. The hotel they were staying in was a beautifully converted monastery, and the quality of the meal equalled the setting. The hotel is also the only hotel to pump oxygen into guests rooms to combat the altitude!We would be heading off on the Inca trail in a couple of days. But the next day would be spent on a day trip into the sacred valley. We would return to Cusco for one night after Machu Pichu, and I was already looking forward to spending some more time there. It is a very manageable city with obvious appeal for a wide variety of tourists.