Today I decided to embark on a grand adventure of the Old Town or “El Centro Historico” of the city. I planned to work my way through the Lonely Planet Guide Walking Tour very slowly. As I passed through Parque El Ejido again it was sunny and in the 70s, and there were Andean clothing and jewelry booths being set up everywhere for the weekend market. I continued south through another nice park, Parque La Alameda, and eventually ended up at Plaza Grande, (Independence Square) the beginning of the walking tour. The square was bustling with people and families of all sorts and it was a great spot to just sit and watch the world go by! On one side of the square is where the President of Ecuador works, La Palacio del Gobierno, and on another side is a massive white cathedral.
Nearby I also checked out the church La Merced and the Centro Cultural Metropolitano. Although the Centro was filled with what looked like a high school field trip, (on a Saturday?) it was one of my favorite stops of the day because they were exhibiting a series of photos of the people of Ecuador from many different parts of the country.
Next I walked by yet another old and beautiful church, La Compania de Jesus, and then onto the Plaza de San Francisco which is located in the shadow of the Church and Convent of San Francisco. This is where I found the nicest views of “El Pancillo” the little loaf-shaped hill to the south with La Virgen de Quito statue on top.
I briefly stopped in a tiny cafe for a mix fruit batido (smoothie) and ran into a fellow tourist from Maryland. We discussed a must-see list for Old Town Quito. I suggested the Centro Metropolitano to him, and then continued on the walking tour to “La Ronda” a recently revitalized historic street. There wasn’t much to see there, but a few blocks further I bought my first souvenir of Quito: a nice skane of cotton yarn, which will soon be a hat!
After a few more minutes of walking, I made it to the Mercado Central, a glorious food and flower market with a lively cafeteria. I braved up and ordered the “Ceviche Mixta”, which comes with a bowl of popcorn. It was tasty, and very different than ceviche in the U.S. The shellfish and octopus were a little too slimy for me, but it was interesting to rub elbows with some locals and get a taste of one of Ecuador’s tradition dishes.
Weaving back toward the walking tour, I passed through the unimpressive Plaza del Teatro and spent a while gawking at la Basilica del Voto Nacional, a huge gothic cathedral with gorgeous stained glass inside. Then I decided to double back towards the Plaza Grande and check out some more other pretty buildings, like the Monestaries of San Agustin and Santa Catalina. While walking back through the Plaza Grande, I chatted with an Ecuadorean college student in English for her school assignment. At the end, Karina also had me fill out a postcard about our conversation to give to her English professor. I hope my written English will be acceptable!
I continued walking around and I saw a sign advertising a free movie showing in the Banco Central de Ecuador building. It was starting to sprinkle a little bit, so I went up to the theater where a recording of Riverdance was just starting! At first I was a little confused what Ireland and Ecuador have in common, but it turned out to be an enjoyable show.
After lots of walking, I ended up back in the familiar Mariscal, although the giant dark clouds off to the east were not so familiar. Within moments huge raindrops and hail started pelting down and I had to duck under a balcony. Thankfully it let up to a drizzle in a few minutes, and I was able to find a small café “El Espanol” for a simple dinner to end the day.
how are you liking the lonely planet book? did you buy it before you left seattle? you are so brave to eat octopus all by yourself! that's probably only something i could get the nerve to do with someone else. that's so cute she asked you to do her conversation with her. did she just come up to you on the street? random riverdance that's funny.
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