We left the hotel at 9:30 a.m.
and walked west on Calle Bolivar to La Iglesia de San Sebastian, a
white church that marks the western edge of old Quito. We passed a craft
brewery called Jodoco Belgian Brew, closed until 11:00 a.m. We turned south then east and
walked along the Rio Tomebamba on Avenida Tres de Noviembre. We passed a bronze
sculpture of kids climbing a greased pole to get to the prizes on top.
We walked past the colonial
architecture of old Cuenca until we came to the 10 de Agosto Mercado. Here were
many fruits and herbs, such as bananas, passion fruit and chamomile. An entire
aisle of the two-story mercado was devoted to herbal remedies. There were a vast number of different cuts of meat available – beef, pork or chicken. No fish were in
evidence. I bought some small bananas, denser and more flavorful than the bananas
we get at home. Sarah and Mark bought some peaches and cherries that we ate
later.
Alejandra led us to a flower market that
was outside a church called the Santuario Mariano, across from the cathedral. Beautiful
flower arrangements with eight roses and several other kinds of flowers could be had for six dollars. Roses
are a major agricultural crop in Ecuador, many of them exported to the United States.
We passed a man selling live beetle larvae from the Amazon that could be eaten, and
also lotion made from the larvae that constitutes a good skin moisturizer, according to
the pitch. 
We walked into the 19th-century
cathedral and admired the stained glass. The beautiful rosette window at the back
of the church is sometimes used as a symbol of Cuenca, according to Alejandra.
On the side of the nave was another rosette with stained-glass images of Moses
and Peter below it.
We ate lunch at a two-story
restaurant facing Parque Calderon, which is across from the cathedral. Abby had
the seco de pollo (stewed chicken) while I ate the trucha frita (fried trout).
Both were delicious. We walked into the park, which is named after Abdon
Calderon, a hero of the 1822 revolutionary war, who gave his life for his new
country at the age of 18. Alejandra said that every city in Ecuador has a
statue dedicated to him.
We walked past more colonial architecture
to a small art gallery featuring sculptures of Galapagos iguanas and
blue-footed boobies. We visited with the artist and proprietor. Much of the art was
modern and interesting. Sarah found a piece that was difficult to resist
purchasing, but she did resist.
The last stop of our walking tour
was the Parque Arqueologico Pumapungo. This was a Canari site that was taken
over by the Incas after their conquest of Cuenca. Only walls extending about a
foot above the current ground level remain. The first site was a kallanka used
to house Canari, and later Inca, soldiers. We came upon the remains of a building
similar to a convent that was used to house chosen women who participated in
religious life and also in the production of textiles and other activities. An
avocado tree grew on the grounds, and lamas and alpacas were tethered next to
an adjoining aviary. Our final stop was the Qurikancha or High Temple that was
a center of worship, astronomy, politics and administration of the Canari and
then Inca government.
We took a taxi back to the hotel and
rested until about 5:00 p.m., at which time we gathered in the hotel’s courtyard.
We drank some wine that Mark had bought and ate fruit that we had purchased
at the market. Then, at about 6:15 we walked to the Jodoco Belgian craft brewery that we had spotted next
to the church of San Sebastian on our morning walk. We sipped beer and ate
tapas as we talked about the events of the day and laughed at old stories. 
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