Quito, Ecuador's capital is truly a remarkable city. We were only there for one day but could feel the energy of the streets and fell in love with the views. Located 2850 meters above sea level on the central Andean plain, Quito is a vibrant city of 1.6 million inhabitants.
The city is build on many hills, some even too steep for cars, so it's not for the lazy. The traffic is notoriously awful so they are building their first subway in attempts of alieviating it. The colours and the crowds are what make Quito such a fantastic place.
We almost skipped Quito but we're glad we didn't. The fantastic weather allowed for pleanty of time to take a long walk around town. The historic downtown area is mostly closed off to cars. There are at least 20 large blocks filled with the above scenes. Street performers, people selling all sorts of goods, mostly locals but a small number of tourists really make this city center unique.
Quito is filled with churches. One of the larger ones, The Basilica of the National Vow is the largest Neo-Gothic Church in the America's, they allow you to climb up to the top of the steeple. You can see our photo of the bell towers from up there. Equally impressive is the white Cathedral of Quito pictured immediately above as it was first completed in 1565, which is shocking for such a large building in a remote part of the new world.
The view from our room was breathtaking. We overlooked the historic center of town. On the hill off in the distance you can see the statue of the Virgin of Quito. I'll miss this view and I'll miss Ecuador, hopefully we will return one day. Thank you for reading🐱