The last, but not the least!!!

Dear friends, We're back for one last blog. We must share the greatest ending to a great year--our trip to Peru and Brad and Kim's wedding.
We left Phoenix on December 17 and headed for Lima, Peru---It's a LONG trip. We traveled for about 20 hrs. and thankfully Kim's mom, Maria Teresa, insisted on meeting us at the airport at about 1:00 am by the time we got our luggage etc. She got us to our hotel with a promise to pick us up the next morning and give us a tour of Miraflores--her neighborhood in Lima. All our festivities were centered here.
On the 19th we headed out to the airport again for a 1hr. flight to Cusco--the launching area to head to Machu Picchu. It's a beautiful, ancient capital--both Quechuan and Spanish, and it's an international city today. The architecture is lovely--built by the Spanish on top of native temples which they dismanteled to use the materials--We again got settled, drank our mate de coca tea to help with the altitude--we climbed to 11,000 feet above sea level in that 1 hr. flight, and set off on a city tour. This is a colorful place, and the massive fortifications of Sacsayhuaman outside of town was amazing. We got home later than we wished, had a quick dinner, and then to bed--We had a 5:00am wakeup call to ge the train to Aguas Calients--doorstep to Machu Picchu.
The ride on the Vistadome train allowed us to look at the scenery and appreciate the truly rural lifestyle. It took about 4 hrs.and wound back and forth with switchbacks to get through the mountains and head down in elevation to our destination.(comfortable ride and great service-the US airlines could take a lesson here)
It rained all day in Aguas Caliente, but we needed to slow down a bit, and the next morning was beautiful for our 20 minute bus ride to Machu Picchu.
This place did not disappoint----AMAZING!!!!, and it became more so as our guide--Darwin, an historian and author of books about Machu Picchu,helped us to understand it's significance to Peru and the world. Read up, there's too much to tell here.
Back to Aguas Calientes, Cusco, and to Lima.
Brad and Kim were in Peru by then, and we met her dad, Don Harvey, and his girlfriend , Deborah, and her daughter, Rachel when they picked us up at the airport. Maria Teresa had arranged a tour of Lima at night, so off we all went in a van. This was Dec. 23.
December 24th had Bruce and I wandering around doing the tourist stuff, and then resting for the Christmas Eve party at AuntDora's--late night, with fireworks all over the city at midnight.
Christmas Day was a beach day--10 of us in the van for a 45 min. ride to Maria Teresa's beach house--beautiful and hot.
Grant and Michelle came in about, 6:30 in the morning, right across the hall from us, and guests started arriving--Bruce's sister and her husband,Carol and Mike, Linda and Chuck Gardner from Montana--2 days late due to weather, and Brad's college friends--and High School buddies. Kim's guests came from France, and Venezuela, and Belgium--a very international wedding.
Dec. 28th we hosted a big "rehersal" dinner to meet all these guests and friends. Not a lot of English was spoken, but we got by quite well with some help.
Dec. 29--Wedding Day--confusion reigned at times, and it was a bit hazy, but the wedding ceremony was great--in English and Spanish by a priest from Boston. The bride and groom beamed, and parents had BIG smiles . Off to the reception we went, at HuacaPucllana, a beautiful spot looking out a a pre-Incan ruin--all lit up at night. We danced, and danced, Grant made his toast in Spanish to the delight of the attendees, and balloons and masks came out to add an air of Carnival to the dancing--such fun. The food was wonderful, and the party went on til 2:00 am(Bruce and I couldn't take it--we quit at 12:30)
We had a cookout on the roof of our hotel for New Year's Eve--only about 30 people.
We thought New Year's Day would be quiet, but NOT. Kim's cousin, Juan Carlos, is a partner in a dance troupe that performs at a very fancy restaurant--Cost aVerde, and he invited us to see the show. This show was Peruvian dances, and you can't even imagine the buffet at this place.!!!
That's it--sorry it was so long--lots left out--we got a big kick out of all the young adults present, and we do still have stories to tell--but enough---and now definitely THE END OF THE BLOG!!!