The mountains were watching long before I noticed them. Cusco sits cradled in their arms. Ancient. Towering. Alive. And when you arrive tired, open, unguarded, the spirits of Cusco at midnight inhale you. I had come to Cusco seeking awe and beauty. I found something else. A presence that followed me in the shadows of gardens, behind the folds of shuttered windows, in the air between breaths.

Spain served up two wildly different love stories: Barcelona, full of charm and flavor, had me smitten from the start. Madrid? Well, he didn't have much going on for me. Dive in!