QUITO: Part III: HISTORIC LANDSCAPE AND MITAD DEL MUNDO

If you read my posts on Lima, Peru, then you know I am a foodie. I enjoy good food of every ethnic persuasion; whether the selections are gourmet, modest family-owned, or simply hole-in-the-wall establishments known for good cooking.  Monday evening, Marc and I ventured out to Zazu Restaurant, one of the top-rated restaurants in Quito.  Needless to say, it did not surprise me that chef Perez is Peruvian, and built his reputation in Peru. Like many a gourmet restaurant with influence out of Lima, many of the specialties are of a seafood persuasion, and Chef Perez exhibits that flair for creativity, and for selecting very fresh ingredients for which true gourmet chefs become known.  

Marc and I ordered the tasting menu, and we were not disappointed.  Zazu would certainly rank among the top ten restaurants in Lima, which is a city currently sizzling with a number of many of the top restaurants in the world, with their fusion of classical Peruvian cuisine with Chinese, Japanese and Thai features. Peruvian chefs are appearing in a number of up-scale restaurants in Quito, with most of them trained at the prestigious Cordon Bleu Academy in Lima.  The ambiance is what one would expect of a restaurant with the reputation of Zazu, the interior design is chic, and the service is quite good.  I never took the opportunity in the past to investigate  many of the better restaurants in Quito, which will make the city just one more reason to want to return again.

Enclosed are photos of the urban landscape in Historic Quito. 

Below, the Sucre Theater in Quito

The Sucre Theater dominates the site on this plaza.

Notice the unusual building in the center of the photo.  It is across the street from the plaza.  How this contemporary-styled and rather eccentrically-designed building (Maybe something a psych major would create) was constructed in the historic area is dumbfounding. Yet, it does become an eye catcher, both for its unusual design and for its incongruency.   I could easily peer into the windows from the plaza, and surprisingly the building is used as a warehouse and little else.

Street performers entertain in the plaza.  Here the guy in the blue shirt and cap had the dog doing whatever the dog was doing.  The performer (the guy not the dog) was talking a mile a minute, and sounded as if he was getting hoarse from projecting his voice.  Just as I turned my back, and was beginning to walk away; there was this loud commotion as another dog came from out of the crowd from what seemed like nowhere, and attacked the performing dog. I missed the momentary mayhem, thus, no pics.  As for the street performer, Ah, what's a guy to do?  Just trying to make a buck, but not having much luck.

The faces of historic Quito:

There is no doubt that a number of the buildings in historic Quito have a gravitas to them that is lacking in the  structures of Cuenca's historic district.  Cuenca has a nice feeling on a smaller scale with its generally more simple facades, and its iron-wrought balconies.

Some of Quito's buildings reminded me of the buildings and facades I so enjoyed last spring in Rome and Florence.  Buildings of massive masonry, set-off  by  stone, bricks in the mid-section of the buildings,  finished with plaster toward the elevated areas, and off-set by cornices, stone balconies, and heavy window trim.

The photo below is reminiscent of a number of archways along narrow streets in Rome.

Edifices and designs worthy of elegance and grandeur.  

MITAD DEL MUNDO (The Center of the World)

Marc and I did a great deal of walking, and we spent Tuesday afternoon with a break from the city by traveling nearby to Mitad del Mundo (the center of the world).

The monument below and the park surrounding it in the following photos were built by the Ecuadorian federal government to mark the spot on the Equator where one can stand both in the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere at the same time with one foot in each hemisphere. After the money was expended and the monument and park was built on a spot that was based upon the calculations of a French explorer; it was determined that his calculations were wrong.  The center is about 240 meters further north.  

Actually, any spot on the Equator can be designated the center of the earth.  Quito became famous for the designation, because the Ecuadorian government capitalized on it with the building of the monument and park to honor the French explorer with a new monument on the site, and advertently  or inadvertently it resulted in a marketing coup d'etat for Ecuador.  If by chance, it hasn't crossed your mind yet; Ecuador is Spanish for the Equator, from which Ecuador derives its name.

Marc  and the hummingbird.  The Andean Condor is Ecuador's national bird. If cities have a city bird, the hummingbird should be the bird of Cuenca.  It is by far the most frequently spotted bird in Cuenca, followed by pigeons in some of the city plazas.

The monument was completed in 1972, and is approximately 90 feet tall.  There is an ethnographic museum inside the monument of three or four floors, which exhibits the extensive diversity of various indigenous cultures throughout the country, and their traditional livelihoods. There is also a miniature layout of Quito. At the top of the monument one can get some nice views and photos of the park and the surrounding mountains.  

I won't increase the size of the photo below, because my belly already looks big enough.  It looks like I am a pig about to be skewered.  I wish I had abs like the spear thrower.  By the way, I've lost twelve pounds since that photo was taken (lol--no seriously!).

The site is very tourist-oriented, with lots of shops, snack bars and restaurants. There is also a galleria, which is basically (you guessed it) more shops of merchandise on which to blow cash. Visitors will also find a planetarium, but Marc and I did not visit it. It was well worth the trip, and takes about two to four hours with travel time to and from Quito.  It's also a nice way to spend an afternoon away from the city without venturing out too far, especially for folks who may have a flight later in the day to catch after a layover.

Below is the Intinan Solar Museum, which is adjacent to Mitad del Mundo.  It claims to also be the accurate on-site location on the Equator, also reports say that military GPS mapping indicates it may be forty kilometers off.  Oh well, just another excuse for another venture capitalist to construct another site on the really real site on the Equator.  Intinan Solar Museum is an outdoor museum with many Disneyesque-type artificial structures intended to convey the culture of  an indigenous past. There are also many interactive experiments conducted to entertain the tourists, and further erode any basic understanding of science that they may have.  

Intiñan Solar Museum

There is much to see and do in Quito.  Not only inside, but also outside of the historic center. Alas, we only had two days to visit. However, that just whets my appetite for future trips to Ecuador's capital, besides just staying in an airport hotel or hostel outside the city to catch a flight out the next day.  Viva Quito!

QUITO: PART II: HISTORIC QUITO'S CHURCHES

As I mentioned in my previous post, my son, Marc and I, met at the airport in Quito, and spent most of the next two days in the historic district of Quito.  The historic district is about ten miles long and three miles wide.  UNICEF had designated Quito as the first site in the world for such historic preservation, and the district has forty churches within its perimeter.

While eating breakfast at Casa El Eden, some of the other travelers had mentioned that El Presidente Correa would be making a speech from the terrace of the Presidential Palace.  Mario, the owner of Casa El Eden had informed us the night before that Monday was the last day of Quito's festivities surrounding Quito's Independence Day from Spain, so our first stop of the day was to return to Plaza Independencia from the evening before and mill with the crowd waiting to see and hear El Presidente.

The flags fluttered under the warm sun.

El Presidente Correa in the center below

Notice the soldiers in the clock tower below, as if they were mechanical soldiers in a glockenspiel ready to move in and out like toy soldiers at the sound of the clock as it strikes on the hour.

The soldiers and military band performed and marched continuously along, around, and through the plaza. 

A Few Churches of Quito

I have visited a great many churches this past year of 2015 from Rome, Venice, Florence, Lima, and Quito.  I had visited the Quito historic area almost five years ago, and there is no doubt that the assembly of churches in Quito are magnificent. On this visit, I did not take as many church photos with the belief that I would be duplicating many of my shots from my 2011 trip.  Now that I'm home, I can't find the photos from my earlier visit anywhere on my computer. To complicate matters further, the most beautiful church, La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus was open for viewing. However, preparations were being made for a conference that evening in the church, and security would not allow me to take any pictures of the interior.  I also was unable to take photos of the interior of Iglesia de Santo Domingo; because while I viewed the interior, a mass was taking place, and it would have been inappropriate for me during a service to be snapping pictures.

As an introduction of historical background I will discuss the La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, even if I don't have any photos of it. The church was founded by the Jesuits, and seven  tons of gold embellished the church's interior. Gold was used to honor the preeminence of God, and the preeminent temporal power of Spain in the fifteenth and much of the sixteenth century. Quito had once been the northern capital of Inca domains, and after the Spaniards had conquered the Incas, it continued to hold sway in the north as part of the Spanish Vice-royalty,  Meanwhile, Lima, was the primer and central capital of the Spanish empire in South America, just as it had been under the Incas.

Surprisingly, the churches in Quito are far more impressive and numerous than those in Lima, considering how much larger Lima is, and the fact it was the major capital of the Spanish Viceroyalty. Buenos Aries' larger and older churches also lack the opulence found in some of Quito's churches.  The Spaniards never found the large amounts of gold at the levels they were seeking. The indigenous would often send the conquistadors on long distant flights of fancy in search of gold and mythical cities of gold.  Yet, from what I have seen in some of these churches in Quito, the Spaniards certainly were finding gold sufficient to adorn some of their largest churches in this part of South America.

The exterior of La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus leaves much to be desired from the perspective that it can use a good cleaning. One would never guess that the most lavish church in South America extends just beyond its doors. The intricate gold altar, reflects Moorish geometrical figures, Italian Renaissance style, and European baroque architecture, with inlays of indigenous nature and animal motifs, often created by local Quechua (indigenous) artists.  Not only the Spaniards and the Quechua, but also the Italian, Moorish, Flemish, and Dutch artists, artisans, architects, and engineers produced in the churches a baroque style unique to Quito.


I have interior photos of only three churches in Quito's historic area.  

This is an exterior shot of Iglesia de San Francisco.

This next photo is the interior of Iglesia de San Francisco. Considering that the altar and interior of La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus was finished in the most gold at seven tons, Iglesia de San Fransisco looks like it wasn't far behind.

The photos below are from the Metropolita Cathedral de Quito:

A  beautiful pulpit in the photo below

Below is the ceiling in the cathedral looking from the altar toward the rear of the church at the splendid pipes of the pipe organ.

Basilica de Bota de Quito

The basilica has a majestic Gothic exterior.  De Bota de Quito was built in the nineteenth century, and was not completed until almost the end of the last century.

 The central altar is a contrast from the earlier large churches of Quito adorned in their gold and intricate sculptures and filament work.  As shown below, the interior is more reminiscent of the Gothic structures in France and much of Northern Europe--elegantly designed with their vaulted ceilings, but stark in their interior simplicity. 

The stain glass windows below are beautiful, and add color and vibrancy 

to the gray stone interior.

The Stations of the Cross can be found in practically any Roman Catholic church, and in some of the older denominational Protestant Churches.  There are fourteen stations for the devotee to stop, pray, and meditate upon each of the incidences that took place in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.  The stations here were angled from the pillars rather than flushed parallel to the pillars, which was an artistic touch that I have not previously encountered.  I assume the pillars were staggerdly indented with the intent to accommodate the stations for such an effect, in which all the stations could be viewed down the line simultaneously.

The grandeur of the vaulted ceilings belie the simple church altar and its surroundings of flags and drapery.  

A magnificent structure reminiscent of the Washington Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  The lights from the church towers can be viewed from the core of central Quito at night.

NORTHERN ECUADOR TRAVEL: PART I: QUITO'S HISTORIC DISTRICT BY NIGHT

Happy New Year to all of you!  We had an absolutely beautiful, sunny day here in Cuenca for a fabulous first day entrance into the year of 2016.  It was so tranquil to walk along the tree-lined Avienda Ordonez-Lazzo, the Rio Tomebamba, the park-like setting of Third de Noviembre; and to simply observe the interplay of light and shadows along the pathways, how lush and interlaced were the leaves on the trees, as were the full spread of flowers both singularly and on the bushes.  I had the same experience about two weeks ago as well on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Today brought me into the almost perfect quietude of El Centro on what has to be the least day of almost nonexistent traffic and the fewest pedestrians of the entire year.  A perfect day for immersion into quiet meditation, and for enjoyment in being in the moment in this peak of our summer season.

December cap-stoned for me a great year, and could not have ended on a higher note than when my son, Marc, came to visit with me in Ecuador for the first time.  We had to overcome two previous failures to pull-off his visit in the previous two years, and then our third setback with plans that went awry when we intended to vacation together in Italy last spring. Nonetheless, on the eighth of December, I met Marc at the airport in Quito.  On that evening and over the next two days we would spend our time in the historic area of Quito, during the first phase of our tour to various areas of Northern Ecuador.

When I first moved to Cuenca in March of 2011, I spent the first four days in the historic area of Quito before traveling to Cuenca. Quito's historic area is larger than Cuenca's, and also was a UNESCO recognized site as a historic city prior to Cuenca's recognition.  I enjoyed the historic area then; but was for whatever reason, even more impressed with Quito's El Centro now. 

Marc and I stayed at a very comfortable bed-and-breakfast with modern guest rooms within the context of its historic outer courtyard and public settings, which is called Casa El Eden.  The bread-and-breakfast is operated by a wonderful and gracious family; Mario, Blanca, and Mario, Jr.; and yes, they serve a fine and substantial breakfast as well.  We simply stepped out the door of Casa El Eden, and we were in the midst of historic Quito. A short walk from Casa El Eden and we were at the Plaza Grande, which is also known as Plaza Independencia (Independence Square).

It was a clear flight at dusk from Cuenca to Quito as I arrived to meet Marc at the airport, as he also just arrived from a week in Vienna.  At first, while in flight; it appeared as if I saw an island in the midst of the ocean, which of course, was impossible.

Getting a closer look, it was a magnificent view of the mountain top peaking out above the clouds over the Andes.  The trip was so quiet and fast, that the one hour flight only took thirty-five minutes.

After getting settled in Casa El Eden, Marc and I made our way to a court yard of shops and restaurants that had been recommended by Mario. Marc had his first Ecuadorian meal, and being in the historic district that caters to tourist, I guess I should not have been surprised at the sticker shock of eating in restaurants in Quito compared to Cuenca.  However, I was.  Especially since Cuenca has the reputation for the highest-cost-of-living in Ecuador.

Plaza Grande or Plaza De Independencia was our next stop after refueling ourselves.  The photos below are of the square and the buildings that surround the square at night time.

The next three photos are of the Cathedral located on the square, which was built in (1562-1567), and is the oldest cathedral in South America.

Below is the Presidential Palace.  (Palcio Carondelet)

Plaza De Independencia is the center core of Quito in a psychological, cultural, and historic way, in much the same way as Parque Calderon is in Cuenca.

At the very center of Plaza De Independencia is the monument known as Heros de la Independencia, which was build in the 1906. Quito is known as the Light of America.  Here began the conflicts the would spread across the South American colonies to gain their independence from Spain.

The final photo below is one of the streets that has been converted into a plaza where people can walk without the intrusion of mobile traffic.  Much the same is being discussed by city planners in Cuenca, by closing off some streets to traffic and converting them into pedestrian malls.

So much of Quito in the historic district is lit up that it made for an enjoyable stroll on a nice evening.