Sunday morning we headed out to check out the city. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the air is clear. Turns out, most of the businesses (including restaurants) are closed on Sundays.
We walked past a plaza with vendors selling primarily Christmas stuff – lights, manger figures, etc.
This, by-the-way, is the route that we will be taking to school every day. Eventually we came to the new cathedral, across from the beautiful Parque Abdon Calderon.
We eventually found the “Cafe Austria” right next door to the Yanapuma School where we will be studying. It is, obviously, an Austrian themed place. It had great food and coffee. No sooner did our breakfast come than we heard “The Little Drummer Boy” blasting on the street. Soon after, a woman dressed as an angel rode by on a horse. It was a Christmas parade with horses and riders, floats, bands, and people in native costumes.
We decided to take a city bus tour, having found it to be a great way to get one’s bearings.
Indeed, it was a great way to get our bearings. Cuenca, as you’ll see from the photos, is quite lovely. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are 7,000 North American expats living here at present, and the numbers are growing.
One of the highlights of the tour was a 14 year-old Cuencan girl who befriended us. She told us as much about the city as the tour operators.
We were also struck by the number of monuments, including to important historical teachers. They call Cuenca the “Athens of Ecuador” due to the number of teachers, writers, poets, and artists that have hailed from here.
Check out a sample of photos from the tour (click on any picture for slideshow mode):
So good to keep up with your adventures. We won’t comment much but be assured we do follow your posts – and, great pictures. Thanks for keeping us in the loop. (Salon last Friday was quite enjoyable, small but nice to have been put together by you). And, of course, just not the same without you two. Miss you…..
It’s so much fun to follow along on your adventures! Our only visit to Cuenca was in 1984, and I can see that it continues to be a beautiful city.
pix are terrific! Children are universally beautiful!
I can’t start my day without reading about your adventures…there’s a book somewhere here!
I wish you a Merry Christmas, and many happy hours in the days to come for you both.
Feliz Navidad,
Gretchen Maring