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(My home away from Home)
This is where I stayed in Quito.
Very nice room. Beautiful hardwood
floors that were buffed to a shine every day.
One interesting feature. I had to call down
to the desk every time I wanted hot water.
There was always cold, but hot was on demand
No additional charge through.
There were always two bottles of drinking water as well
No, you do not drink tap water outside the US!
If you can help, please contact me.
Panecillo Hill
Rising up from the
middle of Quito's Old Town is Panecillo Hill. From the top of the hill, the famous winged Virgin of the Apocalypse gazes
upon the city, supposedly protecting it from the many volcanoes that surround Quito. The statue is a copy of a 17th century
painting by Bernardo de Lagarda. It is said that Lagarda modeled his painting after the typical Quiteña of his time
(without the wings of course) The virgin stands on top of a globe and is stepping on a snake, which is a classic Madonna
iconography.Less traditional are the wings. Locals claim that she is the only one in the world with wings like an angel.This
statue is constructed of aluminum and is 148 feet high. It is a relatively new addition to Quito being constructed in 1976.
around Quito. Everything from this old bronze to
ultra modern sheet metal works.
cashmere wool scarves for $4.00 apiece.
Obviously I came home with a few.
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It has a large open courtyard in the center
These two Ceremonial Guards stand on these podiums at the entrance to the Courtyard.
I never saw them move a muscle the whole time I watched them.
In fact I had to look closely to determine that they were real people.
They are!
It is well guarded by guards with real guns!
This is the change of guard coming on duty at the Presidential Palace
Not a lot of pomp and circumstance. I have the feeling that they
are more business than show.
I could see quite a few more staying out of direct
view in the background.
as it appeared to be will done. The artist obviously has some talent.
most one way for obvious reasons but what impressed me
the
most was the cleanliness of the entire country. No
paper laying around, no urban tumbleweeds (plastic sacks)
or even cigarette buts for that matter. Even in the
countryside, the homes were small but in good repair
and NO trash! Nothing like we are used to seeing in Mexico.
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