First Day in Quito, Ecuador

We are here in Quito, Ecuador!  This is the view from my hotel window....a city of
2.8 million  people.

Our first stop was a Catholic church built in the Gothic style...with
Galapagos turtle gargoyles?!

This is Rodrigo...our guide

Along the city square...a woman in traditional dress with her
children

This is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary that sits atop the highest hill
around the city.  She is looking down on them, and protecting them.  She is made
of metal plates that fit together like a puzzle.

  And this is the  view from up there by the statue.  You can see the
mountains in the distance.  We are at 9000 feet in altitude.  It is a
very eclectic place...older, historic buildings mixed in with the
new and modern......just about like all major cities in the world today. 


Today we also went to the monument that marks the equator...you can stand
with one foot in the southern hemisphere, and one in the northern one.  fun.

Tomorrow we go to a craft market way out of town...should be cool.

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