Day 73: The historic center of Quito
We spent our "last" (more on that in the next post) day in Quito exploring the historic city center. We took a bus to El Ejido, one of the main parks in the city, and from there we had to change buses to get to the city center.
We had to cross the park to get to the buses so we took our time walking and, of course, stopped by the markets.
From El Ejido we took another bus and got off at Plaza Grande (aka as Plaza de la Independencia), the heart of the historic center. When the city was being designed, they designated this plaza to be the "plaza mayor." The monument in the middle celebrates Ecuador's declaration of independence.
We found a nearby restaurant to have lunch and then spent the afternoon walking around the streets of Quito.
Very pretty inside and had a nice exhibit that we visited.
Instead, Ww walked towards the Basilíca del Voto Nacional (which we passed by the other night) to take a look inside.
Beautiful stained glass windows with floral designs and biblical scenes.
It's a bit hard to see in the picture below, but the gargoyles of the Basilica are inspired by Ecuadorian fauna. They have armadillos, turtles, birds and other creatures endemic to Ecuador.
You can also climb the 376 ft spire which offers great views of both the old and new parts of Quito.
After touring the Basilica we headed over to the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo. They had an excellent exhibit by Vik Muniz, a Brazilian sculptor turned photographer.
The present collection "Más acá de la imagen" ("More than just pictures") was a series of photos using everyday objects such as sugar, thread, garbage, chocolate, diamonds, etc. to create images. It was a super cool exhibit.
We ended the night at Mariscal district, which had lots of bars and restaurants and even a small concert. Really great nightlife vibes in this place.
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| Shame there was so much graffiti |
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| Huge park |
We had to cross the park to get to the buses so we took our time walking and, of course, stopped by the markets.
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| Usual markets |
From El Ejido we took another bus and got off at Plaza Grande (aka as Plaza de la Independencia), the heart of the historic center. When the city was being designed, they designated this plaza to be the "plaza mayor." The monument in the middle celebrates Ecuador's declaration of independence.
We found a nearby restaurant to have lunch and then spent the afternoon walking around the streets of Quito.
Stumbled upon a cultural center.
Very pretty inside and had a nice exhibit that we visited.
We were told not to miss La Compañía de Jesús, but there was a small entrance fee to pay, so we decided to just come back in the afternoon and hear mass there.
Instead, Ww walked towards the Basilíca del Voto Nacional (which we passed by the other night) to take a look inside.
Beautiful stained glass windows with floral designs and biblical scenes.
It's a bit hard to see in the picture below, but the gargoyles of the Basilica are inspired by Ecuadorian fauna. They have armadillos, turtles, birds and other creatures endemic to Ecuador.
You can also climb the 376 ft spire which offers great views of both the old and new parts of Quito.
One of the views is of Cerro Panecillo, one of the hills in Quito which used to be an Inca site for sun worship. Atop the hill is a statue of the Virgin of Quito.
After touring the Basilica we headed over to the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo. They had an excellent exhibit by Vik Muniz, a Brazilian sculptor turned photographer.
The present collection "Más acá de la imagen" ("More than just pictures") was a series of photos using everyday objects such as sugar, thread, garbage, chocolate, diamonds, etc. to create images. It was a super cool exhibit.
We went back to La Compañía de Jesus to hear mass at 5pm. When we entered, we realized why it was a must see. It was covered in gold! I was really surprised by how bright the gold was, and how beautifully decorated it was inside. Pictures weren't allowed inside, but I just had to sneak one.
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| Look at all that gold! |
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