Cuenca Spring Break

In addition to the week off in February, Colegio Menor takes a spring break the week prior to the Easter holiday.  Javier and I were looking forward to hosting my parents for the later part of the week, but decided we had time to slip in a quick trip the weekend before their arrival.  We hadn't been to Cuenca yet, the other colonial city in Ecuador and top destination for US retired expats.  It was a cheap and easy flight that gave us most of Saturday, Sunday and Monday to explore the city.  We started with lunch (duh) and then walked around town a bit.  We only ventured around old town, but this section of the city is super walkable.

There is just something about Ecuadorian streets that look so Ecuadorian to me now....do you see it?

Our room wasn't ready so we wandered down to the river and Paseo 3 de Noviembre.  It was such a beautiful day that many people were sitting along the river or out walking around.

We walked to Puente Roto to see the washed away bridge and check out the art displays that are protected underneath. (The art options were slim pickings on the day we arrived.)

We continued walking down Calle Larga to the Ruinas de Todos Santos.  We didn't take the tour or anything, but took a quick look and some pictures.

Since we were on vacation and had nowhere to be and all day to get there, we decided to stop by a little coffee shop, Puro Cafe,  I had heard was good.  Look at my cute husband, patiently tolerating my photojournalism. 

In addition to having delicious coffee, the little cafe had an amazing view.  We thoroughly enjoyed our lattes and view and the chocolate mousse we ordered too!

After coffee, we headed back to check into our room.  We splurged on a nice hotel, Hotel El Conquistador, for the weekend.  Here is our lovely sitting room (that was used mostly to house our muddy hiking attire after a visit to Cajas National Park).

Huge bathroom, but it didn't have a door....that's right...just blended into the rest of the room....

Fancy digs

And here was the lovely view we had outside of our room.  Grandma Pat wisely advised us to take pictures looking out the windows of our homes and vacation spots, something we have tried to do ever since.  It's a great idea for remembering your views and the sights you see looking out the window.

We took a quick walk through Parque Calderon to see the Catedral de la Inmaculada  before heading out to dinner.

ready for our big dinner out

 

Tiestos had been recommended by more than one friend, so we headed there for dinner.  We ordered their steak dinner for two which included a parade of steak medalions each with a new seasoning or sauce.  It was delicious and disgusting....it even included this lovely dessert....which we also ate.

The next day we took a bus to Cajas National Park for some hiking.  Cajas is located up in the mountains around Cuenca so we ended up buying some warmer attire for the trek (a.k.a. Javs' hat and the alpaca sweater I'm sporting).

We were dropped off at Laguna Toreadora and checked in at the information center.  The guide took one look at us and judged, but suggested the pink route if we were determined to do some hiking.

Even from the information center....the view was beautiful.

We found Route 1 and set out.

Did I mention how beautiful....

We had read about the Polylepis trees that created forests in these high altitudes and were looking forward to walking through one.  Our travel book described entering the forests as 'entering a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.'  Into the woods...

It's so scary!!!!

here is a look at the dense forest....it was crazy how thick it was

conquering the forest

but we made it through and found Lagos Unidos on the other side where we parked to rest and snack a bit 

beautiful waterfalls and breathtaking views 

on our hike back we met some friends

It was very misty on our hike, but I think the high altitude probably means the park is constantly in the clouds.  I would never call us hikers, but we're usually up for one when it's the thing to do.  This was certainly one of our hardest....mostly because of the muddy terrain.  We were both constantly slipping and sloshing about and were completely covered in mud by the end.  I took a shower and a bath when we got back....

I had to snap this picture on the way to dinner because it was so beautiful....as usual, the photo doesn't do it justice...
Cuenca has many, many churches (if the Spanish do nothing else when they colonize....) but this one is called Church of Santo Domingo

On our last day in Cuenca, I was looking forward to visiting the Museo del Banco Central 'Pumapungo', but when we arrived...we learned that it was closed on Mondays.  But the Archaeological Park around the back is always open, so we walked around a bit.  The park included ruins of buildings believed to be part of the old Incan city.  The museum has also planted an extensive garden that they believe duplicates the one that might have been part of the original city.

terraced ruins

After the park, we headed to the Museo del Sombrero de Paja Toquilla to check out some traditional panama hats.  The museum continues to make hats today in addition to selling a number of styles in their store.  This machine is heating the straw to shape the brim of the hat.

These ladies were adding color and embroidery to the hats.

We each tried a few on, but apparently panama hats are not our style...regardless...the hat museum was a hit.

We spent much of the rest of the day hopping from church to church.  This is the Church of El Carmen de la Asuncion where a flower market is held daily.  The flowers were beautiful!

We also paid a few dollars to enter the Old Cathedral or El Sagrario.  It was pretty, but I always have trouble reading the Spanish history cards....

Then we crossed Parque Calderon to the New Cathedral or Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion.  Ecuadorians poke a bit of fun at the Cathedral because it was supposed to have two tall bell towers that couldn't be built because of a design error that wouldn't allow the building to support their weight.  Now the Cathedral just has two stumpy towers...but a gorgeous inside!

In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the Mirador de Turi, for a great view of the city.  It was a beautiful day and we were able to see way off into the distant mountains.

This is the white Church of Turi.  When we peaked inside a nun was holding class for a group of small kiddos.

it was a gorgeous view

We had heard from a fellow teacher that a pharmacy right off of Parque Calderon sold a special soda that could cure hangovers.  Even without a hangover, we sought it out to see what such a miracle elixir might look like...apparently it's pink 

We both loved Cuenca.  It was super quaint and beautiful.  We couldn't believe how much English we heard spoken on the streets (something we never hear in Quito).  We even had menus in English.  It's obvious that the expat community has influenced Cuenca in a way we haven't seen in Quito.  But the influence also extended to prices....everything was more expensive (taxi rides, food, everything...).  Regardless, we agreed that it is a city we'd like to see again before we leave Ecuador for good.  There are some good day trips to take outside of the city for the next time around too.

one more shot of Cuenca while we waited for the taxi.