Machu Picchu: A 15th century Incan Estate

I finally decided to finish sharing pictures from our Peru trip with some pictures of our day in Machu Picchu, the old 15th-century Incan ruins, almost 8000 feet above sea level. They were only discovered about 100 years ago, being so remote and so high up in the mountains. 

The night before we stayed in a small Andean town in an old hotel inside the train station. 

This may be my current favorite picture of my sweet girls.
Ready to board the train.

We took a train ride through the beautiful countryside and arrived to the main town below the ruins. The girls were probably most excited about the train.

We took a 30 minute bus ride up the side of the mountain to arrive at the gates of Machu Picchu. 

Beautiful countryside.

What fascinated me the most was how high up we were. How did they get these rocks up this high?

Incredible!

Michael explaining to Ellie about this really old village.

A really, really, old, big rock called "Sacred Rock."

We were literally above the clouds.

The girls were troopers walking around.

This was definitely an experience we won't forget, though the girls won't remember it beyond some pictures. We're not sure when and if we'll have an opportunity to travel again to Peru, so this was a special trip for us.

Cusco, Peru

More from our South America trip:

We spent a night in Cusco, Peru, an old Incan town that has become one of the top tourist destinations in Peru.

There are lots of old churches built in the 1500s 

These rocks were put here hundreds of years ago by the Incans. They had an uncanny ability to fit together these perfectly placed stones, but no one really knows how they did it (there are many theories.)

Touching a humungous Incan stone.

This woman was charging money to take her picture with her sheep. 

Being tourists.

Old church, with a Starbucks right next door, (which we visited a few times during our stay in Cusco).

Chasing birds in the plaza.

Family time.

And then there was this chocolate bar, called Sublime (made by Nestle).
Apparently it's only in Central/South America, but Michael grew up eating it as a very special treat when he lived in Peru/Bolivia. He was so excited to find these that we bought 2 whole boxes of them.

Strolling through the market.
Mostly, Hazel playing with rocks.

Lima, Peru

Part 3: Lima, Peru

We stopped in Lima to visit with some friends from college.

View of Lima

We went to an amazing buffet of Peruvian food. I had no idea there were so many good flavors in Peru. 

Hazel enjoyed the buffet, too.

Throwing rocks with our friends. 

Chucking rocks.

Family photo opportunity.

The Chapmans and the Cantralls.
Michael and Kelsey spent part of their childhood together in Peru when their families were missionaries, so it was fun to be there together with our kids more than 25 years later.

5:30 AM at the airport, heading to Cusco.
A friendly neighbor made them balloon animals while we waited. 

Hazel is pretty comfortable on the plane.
Headed to Cusco, Peru and Machu Picchu.