cuscotopia

kaboom

our next stop after arequipa was cusco and the sacred valley. another fairly early morning but the hotel was kind enough to pack us a little bag breakfast - yogurt, an apple, and a sad little sandwich. okay, maybe it was more of a bagged lunch. the flight itself was fairly uneventful except that oh yeah, i saw a volcano erupting. i just happened to look out the window, luckily it was in time to catch a glimpse of it.

when we made our way over the andes and landed we were at our highest elevation yet. arequipa had been about 8,000 ft above sea level but cusco was something like 11,000. it was probably in our best interest to do it all gradually. i didn't notice many problems although i did get a little short of breath at times when normally i wouldn't have. we got a taxi and within about 15 minutes we were in the center of town. the outskirts reminded me a bit of nepal at first, a mountainside city with shoe box style houses stacked on top of one another. the historic district was a bit more spread out. our hotel was just about a block and a half from the main square. my mom had booked a different hotel but then decided to splurge for the marriott, worried that she'd have trouble with the altitude. (the marriott is one of those upscale hotels that has oxygen piped in to the rooms). it was pretty fancy, too - the hotel itself was built inside a converted convent, complete with a massive central courtyard (once cloisters). there was an entire spa in the basement - with a sauna, hot tub, and heated pool - and the breakfast tables seemed never-ending.

why is it called the plaza de armas, anyway? what arms?

after quickly getting settled we made our way to the plaza de armas. the weather was beautiful - nice and warm with bright blue skies - but the forecast for the next few days didn't look so good so we thought we'd try to make the most of it. we first went in the templo de la compañia de jesus, a fairly massive structure with a cavernous interior and bright gold altar screen. we couldn't take photos except when we went upt he tower steps and looked out the window on to the square. from here i was trying to find a certain convent but instead we ended up at a convent/museum that explained the lives of the nuns who once lived there. it was nicely down, exploring each facet of their lives with lots of artifacts, including their elaborate embroidery. my mom really enjoyed it - she's always liked learning about life in the cloisters. no photos once again, though.

clouds roll in

incan walls

from here we stopped for a quick lunch of sandwiches, empanadas and truly massive juices (we were each given a carafe that was meant to be a glass). no turkey on the menu (oh did i mention it was thanksgiving?) so we settled for chicken instead. then on to the convento santa domingo, primarily significant because it was built on the remains of qorikancha, the heard of this central incan city and the most sacred shrine, dedicated to the worship of the sun. there was still evidence of the incan civilization - many of the trademark incan stone masonry could be seen in walls and even rooms that were left intact. the genius of incan masonry is that there's no mortar joining the rocks yet nevertheless the walls are quite solid. rather than using some material in between the stones, masons painstakingly wore down the sides of each rock with a smaller stone so that the grooves would fit together perfectly. to the point that you can't fit so much as a pieces of paper between them. the later church was built on top of and around these stone walls. much like the churches built around mosques in moorish spain. the expansive courtyard was filled with tons of groups. our timing wasn't great since in addition to tons of groups the clouds rolled in just as we arrived.

rambling san blas

as we were leaving the skies were starting to clear a bit so we thought we'd do some more of our outdoor activities in the city. we hailed a taxi for a ride uphill to san blas, the bohemian area of the city filled with little cafes and artisans' shops. by the time our very quick cab ride was over the skies were blue again and the weather was glorious. from the top of a small staircase we could see over the red rooftops of cusco, enjoying a light breeze. we walked around the main plaza, filled with lovely brightly blue doors and white and yellow walls. even the street signs were lovely, decorated with carved bells and painted flowers. also dotting the plaza were a few groups of women, dressed in traditional peruvian garb walking with llamas. their aim is to get tourists to take a photo of them (i have to admit, baby llamas are quite enticing) and then get a little money from them. occasionally the police chase them off so i imagine it's discouraged.

gorgeous doors

we continued walking around the plaza and up some steps to a little alleyway. definitely the hostel dwellers' destination of choice - streets lined with silver earrings on display, incense burning from within little shops and pleasant little cafes with coffee and wifi. we made use of the latter, relaxing for a bit in a lovely little courtyard as we sipped café con baileys (only to be found in touristy areas to be sure - but does anything say 'vacation' more than bailey's in your coffee?) and wrote some postcards.

elaborate signs

we popped in and out of shops along the street, where i was delighted to discover a shop filled with hand-painted ceramics, a craft i hadn't seen too much of in peru as yet. the pieces were all done by one artist, tater camilo vera vizcarra, recognized by unesco. if you know my predilection for tiles you'll know that i was already done for. i walked away with a lovely little circular tile painted with a hummingbird, which i thought was a nice reminder of my time in arequipa. exploring the area made for a perfectly pleasant afternoon and a very nice introduction to cusco.

downhill we go

we rambled through the area and slowly made our way down a sloping street lined with little souvenir shops and more upscale alpaca stores (which i've seen alternately called cuesta de san blas, hatunrumiyoc, and calle triunfo on the map). a narrow street with well-worn cobblestones, from the top we could see some rooftops and into the main square at the bottom. again the streets were dotted with lovely bright blue shutters and window grills and the occasional flower pot. we popped in and out of shops, looking for scarves, blankets, and little knick knacks, making note of items we might like to buy later and what the going rates seemed to be. when we made it down to the main square it was getting close to dusk. there were plenty of people milling around - families out for the evening, tourists taking photos and several women selling gladiolas (which seem to be a favorite for worshipers who use them as offerings in church altars).

lights on in the plaza

we made our way back to the hotel - with the sun starting to go down it was quickly getting cooler. i didn't stay too long, though, before venturing back out to take some photos of the square as the sun set and the lights came on. getting a good picture was hard since it was already quite dark but i managed to get a few less-blurry shots of the fountain, the cathedral, and the hills beyond. for some reason the church facades themselves are not lit. mom was a little tired of peruvian food so we settled on a restaurant that had some non-peruvian dishes. as for myself i tried an entree that had two dishes i'd been wanting to try - chicharrones (fried pork, quite good) with tacu tacu (little yellow balls of rice and lentils, sort of odd), all accompanied by what i will go on record saying has to be the best juice combo there is - pineapple/mango/passion fruit. mom had some pasta that was surprisingly good. that night i made full use of the spa's sauna, steam room (which had some kind of giant leaves) and hot tub and, in spite of the hotel's size, i was the only person there. (idiots!)

massive doorway

the next day we ventured off into the sacred valley and towards machu picchu, but we we returned a few days later we were able to do a bit of what we'd missed in cusco before. it was a bit rainy, as predicted so we were happy to finish up some shopping, splurging on alpaca sweaters and finding some patterned shoes for me and adorable little booties for my friend expecting a baby. we also went in the cathedral - much like many of the churches we'd been in before (including the ban on photos that i think is rather silly in the age of smart phones) it was cavernous and filled with lots of gold and embellished altar niches. there were a few murals that helped explain the history of the city, punctuated by several major earthquakes. all in all we found cusco to be a perfectly pleasant city with lovely shops, significant architectural and archaeological sites and of course gorgeous carved and colorful doors. a hallmark of many great cities, i'd say.

ambling in arequipa

when planning our trip to peru i stumbled upon arequipa and photos of its lovely monastery. after that, i knew it had to be on our itinerary. and i was not disappointed. the city charmed us, from the picturesque plaza de armas to the lovely monastery and the tasty food. it was also a refreshing change to explore a city that was so compact and easy to walk around in.

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we arrived on our flight from lima and were greeted by a driver from the hotel. i had thought arequipa was a much smaller city but the drive from the airport took us through the outskirts, which seemed pretty sizable. no matter where we were we could see the mountains looming in the distance. when we arrived at the hotel, katari, it was still quite early (because of course we had another early morning) so i quickly went up on the roof to catch the last of the morning light. the view from the hotel was stunning - the plaza de armas and cathedral beyond and the volcanoes in the distance. we had a bit of breakfast as we enjoyed the view and waited for the sun to warm the city up.

corn, corn, and corn

even after breakfast it was still early and our room wasn't quite ready. so we wandered the streets a bit, making our way to the market we had read about. it was a covered market with foods organized by aisle - stacks of cheese in wheels as big as a 45, pyramidal piles of fruits, dead chickens with their claws in the air, burlap sacks filled with dried chilis, and of course many varieties of corn. we surreptitiously took some photos as the vendors started to set up and start their day. we could see several people having their breakfast at little stands peppered throughout the aisles.

spectrum

outside the walls of the market we continued exploring the streets. we seemed to be in the workaday part of town, with little electrical shops and convenience stores. the streets themselves were colorful but dated, with peeling paint and old doors - just how i like them. we popped into a church along one of the streets. fairly typical, with ornate (bordering on gaudy, some might say) gold altars throughout the stone structure. before long we had walked around all the streets south of the main square and were back at the hotel. just next door was a little grocery store (which we always love to explore on trips) so we popped in to poke around and get some sodas.

sabor del peru

by this time our room was ready so we went there to relax a bit. nicely appointed with antique furniture and with a view out onto the main square (although through a little arcade). we took some time to enjoy the room, complete with robes and slippers, and put our feet up before venturing out again. relaxing turned into a catnap (which we probably needed) and when we woke up it was about lunchtime. we ventured out, passing up a few more touristy places (boasting french, italian, turkish food) we opted for a spot that looked authentic - with old painted walls and smooth wooden floors. we saw a few other tourists and a couple of locals who seemed to be on their lunch break. they had a modest prix fixe menu which started with salad and soup. for an entree mom tried an orange chicken while i had alpaca meat with quinoa (can you get much more peruvian?). the alpaca meat was quite tough but it was nice to try at least once. for dessert we got little cakes that tasted a bit like the arequipe coffee i'd had in lima.

our next stop was my most anticipated - the monastery de santa catalina. i'm not totally sure why it's consistently referred to as a monastery; only nuns seemed to have ever lived there. in fact, nuns do still live there. we were surprised that so many of the nuns had their own private rooms - some were almost apartments, really. but of course there were kitchens, gardens, and some other gathering places as well. the center was closed to the public for almost 400 years but, fortunately for us, opened again in 1970. the complex is enormous - so big that there are entire streets within it, most of which are named for cities in spain. cordoba streets, for instance, is lined with begonias in little flower pots. what was really arresting, though, were the bright colors that covered every wall. it was a feast for the eyes and even moreso for my camera lens. i think this place can better be conveyed by those photos rather than me so i'll let them take over:

bright colors just inside the entrance

cloisters are even more lovely in blue

simple steps

lantana outside a window

lovely built in cabinet within a nun's room

calle cordoba, naturally

the mountaintops beyond

gorgeous little flowers were peppered throughout the grounds

nuns still live in the apartments on this street

nun spotting!

not sure what those little white bits are

snapdragons

chambers

such a variety of tones

flowers in the sun

lines in the wood

in the rose garden

wouldn't you want to live here too?

reaching up towards the sun

sevilla street

painted doorway

little cactus near the small orange grove

view of the church near the end of our visit

so there it is - a gorgeous complex and a wonderful afternoon exploring - we hardly ever encountered more than a couple other people. i really didn't want to leave!

glowing light and a chill in the air

finally we pulled ourselves away and made our way back to the hotel, stopping once along the way to admire (and buy) some alpaca scarves. i was anxious to go up to the rooftop terrace to catch the golden hour on the cathedral. i got a coca tea, which is said to help with the adjustment to the altitude, and took photos intermittently as the sun started to set. the temperature was dropping quickly but the hotel attendant working the small bar kindly brought over a blanket that helped keep out the chill. he also took care of the trio of businessmen who were at various stages of incapacitation, one slumped over in his chair and another completely passed out on the table. maybe it was the altitude but i have a feeling it might have been the pisco sours on the table. in any case, the view really was stunning, with the sun glowing on the steeples, then slowly lifting from the tips of the mountains and finally the lights coming on in the plaza below.

golden glow over arequipa

lights coming on

chupe and pisco

by the time the sun was down and it was totally dark we were about ready for dinner. we went out in search of chupe de camarrones, a shrimp soup that we had heard was a specialty. the helpful hotel staff directed us to one of two places, the latter of which seemed less crowded. we had the place almost to ourselves, the old stone walls now housing a little bar and a few handcrafted items for decoration. we ordered the much-anticipated soup and were not disappointed. the broth was creamy but not too thick and the rice, egg, beans, and peruvian cheese made it quite hearty. that in addition to the bread and herb butter we were served made for a filling meal. (i should add that after several days of smaller appetites than usual we realized it was a side effect of the altitude medicine we'd been taken.) we washed it all down with pisco sours, the peruvian cocktail par excellence, complete with a few drops of aromatic bitters over the foamy egg whites. a perfectly pleasant meal.

church interior

the next morning we were pretty excited to be able to sleep past 3am, the first time in three days! we figured we had already been to our principal destination and there were only a few other stops on our list so we decided to make it a leisurely day. our first stop was the iglesia de la compañia, just next to the hotel. it didn't stand out much. next we made our way up the street and across the square to teh cathedral. we had to take a tour, which turned out to be quite good. we couldn't take pictures of anything but the interior of the church.

think the P tilted in an earthquake?

the other rooms we went in housed beautiful vestments (many made by nuns in local convents like the one we'd visited the day before) and other religious objects. according to the guide many of their more valuable pieces had been stolen over the years before the church had any kind of security. seems like a pretty big oversight... the church itself is much more modern than i anticipated, but to be expected because it had been rebuilt several times following earthquakes. it also had a huge organ at the back that we got a good view of from the second floor. we were also able to go up to the roof of the church, where we got up close with the giant bells within the steeples.

café con leche with lovely linens

from here we walked up the nearby street in search of the 'casa ricketts' which supposedly was an old home (now bank) that had elaborate decoration. we finally found it and were somewhat underwhelmed. there were a few carvings over doorways but nothing worth writing home about. we left and stopped in a nearby alleyway with some lovely cafes where we lingered over drinks. hot cocoa and café con leche seem even more appropriate in the land of coffee and chocolate. after our break we walked farther north in search of other places to explore. there was another church at the end of the road but it was closed in the middle of the day so we walked on in search of lunch instead. mom was in the mood for something different so we stopped for crêpes in the courtyard of the local alliance française. they were unremarkable (i don't think france would have approved) but decent enough.

francis' courtyard

from here we decided to part ways - my mom went to the museo santuario andinos the archaeological museum where the so-called 'mummy girl' is housed. i killed a little time popping into little markets before making my way back to the monastery we had passed before, the complejo san francisco. i got there just as it was starting to re-open and followed along on a tour with a very sweet girl who was working there. she started the tour in spanish then switching to english after she realized i might follow that better. the tour was quite good although the monastery itself was a little dark. the courtyard was simple, as i imagine most franciscan cloisters are. in the center was a statue of saint francis surrounded by trees with lots of birds, which i thought was fitting. i even spotted a little hummingbird among the branches. the church itself was simple too, especially compared to the ornate, gilded church altars we'd seen before.

ice (cream) cubes

i made my way back to the hotel where my mom recounted her visit to the museum. she really enjoyed learning about the incan rituals of human sacrifice so she was glad she went. as we i was dismayed to learn that there had been another convent just a few blocks from the monastery where i'd been that looked lovely but hadn't come up in any of our research - the monasterio santa teresa, for the record. otherwise i think we made the most of our two days in the city. we again spent the sunset up on the roof, taking in the changing views. afterwards, not terribly hungry, we asked for a nearby restaurant to get some soup. we were directed to la boveda, a very old little restaurant and evidently one of the only ones on the main square that isn't awful (according to the hotel staff anyway). we had some soup but decided to cap off our meal with arequipan ice cream - a very unusual substance that came out in cubes and was made from cheese. it was pretty good but even so we barely seemed to make a dent in the massive pile of it we were given. not a bad end to our brief exploration of this charming city. next it was on to the andes!

rocky mountain hi!

well finally august came around, which usually means it's time for our annual vacation (as it's the only two weeks of the year when neither JR nor i have any big programs at work). in efforts to save money we thought we'd alternate foreign trips with domestic. so this year we headed to colorado and the mountain west! we got a great price on plane tickets (from augusta of all places) and with a very brief layover we were soon touching down in denver. we were surprised at how flat and barren the land around the city looked - obviously we were flying on the non-mountain side. (apparently in denver people give directions based on you're going towards or away from the mountains.) even the airport was a site in itself - the trademark architecture, the somewhat crazy murals, and the giant crazed (and apparently cursed) horse statue out front.

denver brews and views

we were delighted to see our friends, who very nicely made the trek out to the airport to pick us up. from there we went straight into the city and within the hour we were sitting down with a local beer and a great view. we spent the evening catching up, strolling the area near union station and visiting a bar or two. then back to their place in the adorable platt park neighborhood.

the next day we were up fairly early to make it to rocky mountain park. it was a long drive but a pretty one. we had hopes of getting there early but a few other people had the same idea. it was just a few days after the national park service's centennial and happened to be the last of the free days so it was a popular destination. this meant that many of the parking lots were full so we settled for sprague lake, one that i had rather randomly put on the map.

sprague lake

it was a pretty little lake with lovely views of the mountains beyond. then about twenty minutes in to our walk we spotted a moose! actually mike did, which was fitting because he has always loved moose (mooses? moosen?). he was so excited to finally get a photo of one that he said his hands were shaking. as it turned out, we had plenty of opportunities for photos. the moose took his time, giving everyone a show. he spent quite a while eating plants from the lake, going in and out of the water, even crossing our path outside the lake. and he was a huge bull moose. his antlers alone must have weighed fifty pounds!

lunch time

oh hey there

back in the water

as you can tell, we were pretty excited. turns out sprague lake wasn't a bad destination after all!

rocky mountain thistle, i'm guessing

after about 45 minutes of oogling the moose we managed to pull ourselves away. we popped off to a different part of the park for another view - small streams, mountain views and some lingering wildflowers. from there we headed back into estes park (the name of the town, not a park) which seemed to us a bit like a classier version of gatlinburg, or some similar touristy mountain town. we stopped for lunch, enjoying some elk sausage and tasty chili. besides this kind of typically western food (and plenty of burgers), we realized colorado doesn't have much of a local cuisine. although they are very fond of green chilies - they're not terribly spicy but they seem to put them on everything. after popping into a few shops filled with carved bears and moose we decided to head back to the car and out of the spitting rain.

spirit hound distillers' finest

from estes park we continued just outside the mountains to the small town of lyons where we'd identified a little distillery we wanted to stop at. it was a small place with an old fashioned sign out front and a rusty pickup truck to match. inside there was a small bar, a couple tables and a window to see the vats and stills at the back. JR and i shared a flight of whiskey - some of the smoothest we'd ever tasted! if it weren't for liquid allowances on domestic flights i'm pretty sure we would have picked up a bottle. we sipped some cocktails made with root beer and sarsaparilla (both of which seem to be quite popular out here - i approve) as we relaxed and played a goofy trivia game they had.

floor to ceiling decorations

we continued on our mini road trip all the way to boulder. our friends had of course been before but our primary destination was the dushanbe tea house. if that name doesn't sound terrible southwestern it's because the tea house itself is from tajikistan. it was built, dismantled, sent to the US, and rebuilt here in a process that took several years. as soon as i read about this spot i knew we'd have to make a trip to visit. it did not disappoint - every inch of the tea house was elaborately decorated - carved and painted ceilings, beautiful glazed tilework, detailed embroidered textiles hanging on the walls, carved wooden screens. even the tiled tables were beautiful. we ended up sitting outside under some growing vines and next to a tiny stream. the teas we chose from their extensive menu were delicious - courtney particularly loved her tangerine cinnamon tea. so much so that she and i both bought a few ounces. i can't recommend this spot enough - what a gem! we spent the rest of our time in boulder strolling along the pearl street mall, a pedestrian area much like charlottesville's downtown mall. we popped into a bookshop and people watched for a bit before deciding to make our way back to denver.

cats & books, seems like heaven

the next day we were on our own as our friends headed to work. courtney generously let us borrow her car so we were able to visit some spots a little further afield. before we did that, though, we walked to the nearby retail area, also called pearl street. it was no more than a ten minute walk but we passed two little free libraries and lots of lovely flowers along the way. we popped into a coffee shop for some iced coffees and then had a delicious (an enormous) smothered breakfast burrito to start the day. from there we headed on our way. our first stop: denver cat company. yes, we drove to the other side of town to visit a cat cafe. if you're unfamiliar with the concept it's basically what it sounds like. for a small fee you're able to have a drink, read a book, and play with one of the many cats that stroll about the facility. the cats are all up for adoption so of course the goal is to find homes for them. but in the meantime people like us can get our cat fix. until i can get JR to give in and let us get a cat, this it the best i can do. we had fun playing with the younger ones but the older ones seemed to just want to be left alone to sleep. still, a fun outing.

golden's table mountin

our next destination was golden, a town about a half-hour west of denver. we knew we had made it to golden when we saw the towers of the coors plant up ahead. that and table mountain seem to be the trademarks of the town. it's a neat old mining town nestled in the mountains with a nice river going through the middle of it. a friend had recommended the sherpa house so we figured when in rome.. eat at the nepalese restaurant. JR sampled some tasty (although not very spicy) south asian dishes from the buffet (our favorite was yak vindaloo) and i held out for momos complemented with masala chai. feeling quite stuffed, we walked back down the hill and along the main street just as a big storm cloud rolled in. the sky looked quite dramatic as we drove out of town.

flowers again

on the way back we'd hoped to stop at dinosaur ridge, a spot that had fossilized dinosaur tracks and had been the site where many fossils had been discovered. unfortunately just as we got there the rain really started coming down. we didn't think a walk out to the ridge would've been much fun so we skipped it. we drove by red rocks on our way back to town, although we didn't get much of a look at it from the road. once we were back in town we had just enough time to pop by washington park and enjoy the gardens as the last of the drizzle passed through.

mayan marquee

after courtney & mike were off work (which tends to happen earlier in colorado - apparently people like to get off work early to enjoy the outdoors, how novel) we met them at a speakeasy. i have to say it was pretty authentic - it was set up to look like a bookstore, williams & graham, complete with a staircase hidden behind a faux shelf. the menus themselves looked like books and we treated ourselves to some old fashioned cocktails - sazeracs and old fashioneds. from there we planned another spot from the '30s - this one was an old movie house. i love when old movie theaters are still used to show films. we sneaked in some burritos from a nearby place, got some colorado beers, and enjoyed a movie about improv comedians. all in all, a lovely way to end our day.

one of my faves in the ab ex show by sonia gechtoff

the next day was devoted to exploring denver. we started with a breakfast on pearl street and then took the light rail into the city. seems like a pretty good system, from what we could tell. we got off in the center of town and made our way straight to the denver art museum, or DAM if you will, a much anticipated stop on my part. we spent several hours there, and could have spent many more. the collection itself was impressive - from east asian and south asian to art of the american west and pre-columbian works of art. there were two wonderful exhibitions up - an exhibition about dance and one highlighting the women of abstract expressionism. and throughout all the galleries they had wonderful interactive touches that made my museum educator heart very happy. i could go on but chances are museum geeking out is probably not why you're reading this post. once we tore ourselves away (we didn't even see it all!) it was several hours later and well into lunchtime. just outside the civic center had set up a food truck court which suited us perfectly - we got to try a bit of everything, including korean beef tacos, parmesan aioli tater tots and a caramel churro. cheap, quick, and at a table with a nice view of city hall.

time for a cold one

from here we thought we'd walk to our next destination. that turned out to be a longer walk than expected and by the time we got there - about 30 or 40 minutes later - we were quite a bit sweatier. overall, though, denver's weather and its lack of humidity was really lovely. our destination was the buckhorn exchange, one of the oldest bars in the city and the first to be issued a liquor license. why it was so far from the center of town we never did figure out. this spot was great - from the horned animal heads lining the walls to the saloon doors, it really did have that old west feel. we got some great drinks (at happy hour prices!) including some sarsaparilla and JR's new favorite, the simple yet tasty buffalo bill - just apple juice and bourbon! for the prices and the setting, we agreed it was worth the walk. buuut we were definitely ubering to our next stop.

how much more denver can you get?

back into town, we made it to the history colorado center (is it just me or does that sound backwards?) where we were meeting up with courtney and mike. and it just happened to be courtney's birthday! we were there for a history buffs and booze program but also managed to get into the museum for free. this meant we could see the awkward family photo exhibit which made courtney ridiculously happy. it was hilarious and culminated in a photo booth with equally hilarious props which we of course made use of. the program itself was.. good but man was that speaker dull. no stage presence whatsoever, eesh. we made a hasty exit and headed toward a cidery, courtney's choice, naturally. we elected to sit inside which ended up being a great decision since about 10 minutes later the skies opened up and didn't let up for several hours. we holed up and sampled our cider flights as we played a tense game of pictionary - boys versus girls. we had a ball playing (the ladies won, of course) but agreed that the ciders weren't the best. then on to delicious burgers for the birthday girl and finally back home after a long but lovely day! we hated that we weren't going to catch up with courtney & mike after our trip up to the parks (they'd be gone by then) so we opened gifts and enjoyed each others' company for the last night.

it was a quick trip to denver but i really think we packed a lot in. next time we'll hopefully make it to a few more house museums.. and of course back to the art museum!