I spent a few days prior and after the Galapagos Trip in Quito acclimatising to the 2800m altitude which is OK but there was a lingering headache and felt zonked out from just ambling about. A fantastic setting along a valley surrounded by the Andean mountains and just 22km south of the equator but with generally nice english summer weather of about 20 to 24 degrees and a breeze.
Quito´s colonial centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dates from pre Columbian times and when the Spanish arrived in 1526 it was a major Inca city. Rather than fall into Spanish hands, an Indian general razed it to the ground and the many colonial era buildings from the 16th C are built upon the Inca ruins of which none remain.
I pottered around Old Quito with the Tour Group and today with 3 Aussies I met on the Trip. Old Quito is jammed with churches, monasteries, cathedrals and plazas along crowded streets with balconied 3 storied buildings with iron railings and red trailing flowers, belching buses and police directing traffic along many one way narrow streets, tourists, locals and yelling street vendors in´typical Andean clothing of long skirts, ponchos, bowler type hats ´hawking shoe cleaning, sweets, icecream and brightly coloured strings.
The Plaza de la Independencia has 4 grand buildings from different dates on each sides; the Presidential Palace where the president works but does not live, the Cathedral with a fabulous carved and ornate interior door with hell on one side and heaven on the other, the Archbishops Palace which is now a colonnaded row of small shops (cafes and a good place to sit by a fountain with a good coffee or icecream) and a modern, boring squat office building.
Leading off the Plaza is a street of the 7 Crosses and many more churches such as La Compañia de Sucre with green and gold domes and where reputedly 7 tons of gold were used over 160 years to gild every inch of walls, roof, altars, pulpit, sacristy and organ. Utterly eye splitting as it runs riot with gold leaf and colour on carvings, paintings, statues depicticting saints, jesus, virgin mother and fantastic paintings of the riches and treats in heaven compared to the devils with forks waiting one in hell. I recall this bounty of colour and decoration 8 years on as it is so different to the plainly adorned English churches I know.
The Monastery of San Francisco was a lovely 3 storied colonnaded, long white washed building with 2 green and white tiled bell towers dating from 1534, with a tranquil courtyard of palms and greenery and views through the windows of Volcano Pichincha. Perhaps the 2 monks I saw strolling around town in long brown robes and bare feet were from this monastery. Lots of paintings from the 16th C of the Saint and the bible and with the help of the Aussies, decided some of the scenes represented something along the lines of the 6 main life stages such as confirmation, matrimony and last rites. There were loads of statues and pictures of Jesus at Calvalry in lost of gore and crown of thorns. Part was being restored so we could only see a portion of the fantastic baroque carvings in the main altar with much of the roof having Moorish influences.
As well as volcanoes for the backdrop, one hill called El Panecillo or Little Bread Loaf, had a huge statue of the Virgin of Quito with a crown of stars, eagle wings and a chained dragon atop the world. We were told why, but have forgotten so need to read Revelations 12 which is not on my reading list. And still to do 8 years on!
Also pottered around another area of Quito where the Sierra Madre Hotel used by Intrepid was located, called the Marischal Sucre District. This area was named after the bloke who won the decisive battle for Independence in 1822 and is now very geared up for tourists with 24 hour cafes, nightclubs, adventure tour agencies, shops etc. Had some good coffees, food on my own or with the Intrepid group – Life was Good!
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