Old Quito

As usual, we awoke early and did a few things in the room while waiting to go to breakfast in the Sheraton at 6 am. We had another great selection of fruit, cheese and breads in addition to the items that are typically eaten in Ecuador. I tried cacao tea since the person at the chocolate maker said that the hulls of the cacao beans are used for tea. I found the cacao tea to be tasteless and smelled only slightly of chocolate. The fresh fruit juices were outstanding.

At 8 am we met our guide for Quito, Patricia, along with the others in the group for orientation and planning. One couple from New Hampshire was delayed because of a Hurricane Ian related cancellation but the other 13 of us were there. After the meeting, we went to our rooms to get what we needed for the morning tours.

San Francisco Convent

We boarded a bus and drove into old town Quito. Upon exiting the bus, we were swarmed by women selling hand woven alpaca shawls. Mary bought some to take back as gifts for the girls. Then we walked through the town square to the San Francisco Convent a Franciscan church. Which dates to 1535. In the courtyard there were several species of native parrots which we understand is common for Franciscan churches. We were amazed at the age of the structure and how good it appeared to be. The walls are now painted white, but it originally had beautiful murals on the walls and ceiling. There was a service going on when we arrived, so we tried to be very quiet and not disturb anything. It was remarkable how well preserved the paintings and the structure of the church was after nearly 500 years.

The Gold Church

From this church, we walked to a Jesuit church, the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, commonly called “The gold church” because of all the gold in the church’s interior decor. It was quite beautiful, so we walked around looking at the old church. 

 

We walked to Chez Tiff Artesanal, a chocolate maker in Quito who, like the chocolatier in Mindo, makes artisanal chocolate in small batches. The proprietor is a Swiss man who is married to an Ecuadorian woman. He gave us a discussion on the making of chocolate that was very similar to the process we saw yesterday. We very much enjoyed the samples of their chocolate making.

Lunch at Hotel Grande Plaza

When we arrived at Hotel Plaza Grande for lunch, we met with the toast two of our group, Charlie and Judy from Vermont, whose travel had been delayed by Hurricane Ian. They were a nice couple, and we were pleased to have them join the group.

Cucuruchos in Quito

Lunch was at Hotel Plaza Grande where Mary and I both had chicken coated in local quinoa flour and baked. The appetizer was a selection of native Ecuador’s fruits and vegetables. The real treat was the dessert which was guava and raspberry sorbets in a small metal bowl. The metal bowl was in a slightly larger porcelain bowl with a small quantity of dry ice and water causing the bowl to appear to smoke. The dessert was served by waiters dressed in purple robes called cucuruchos. The also had purple conical cloth hats covering their faces. This is part of a seasonal ritual in Ecuador symbolizing reflection and penance during holy days and especially on Good Friday when thousands of Ecuadorians parade through Quito in the purple robes and hoods.

We had a bit of a scare after we left the restaurant. Cindy wanted a coffee from the nearby café and realized that she didn’t have her wallet. We ran back to the dining room and quickly found the wallet under the table where she and Mark sat.

After finishing lunch, we boarded the bus to visit the home and museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin, Ecuador’s most famous artist. His art was very dark and carried a social/political message that was relevant in his time. I believe that this was the least favorite stop of our time in Ecuador. However, I did meet a lady who lives just a few blocks from Sarah. I was wearing a “Xavier Dad” T-shirt when a visitor at the museum asked me if I was from Cincinnati. I told her that we were from Central Kentucky, but our daughter attended Xavier and her family lives in Pleasant Ridge. It turns out that she lives just a short distance from Sarah in Pleasant Ridge.

After leaving the Guayasamin art museum, we again boarded the bus for our return to the Sheraton where we had almost an hour of free time before the speaker, a professor from the university in Quito, spoke on the geography, economics and culture of Ecuador. He was an interesting and knowledgeable speaker that everyone seemed to enjoy. Following the presentation, we had dinner at the hotel then we went to our rooms to prepare for our early departure for Galápagos Islands tomorrow.