Sunday, December 2, 2012

Downtown Quito

It's been a busy week!! We've gone all over this city and the surrounding towns, and I have seen some beautiful places. Last weekend, we spent some time traveling around Quito on a bus-- it made us look super touristy, riding a double-decker bus to the major Capitol attractions, but I guess we are tourists anyway. When getting on the bus, I actually found one of my students with his grandparents and cousins on the tour!

Downtown plaza, right next to the president's palace

Quito is an old and very beautiful city. It is unique in shape, nestled between mountain peaks but continually growing in a long rectangular shape. We stopped off on the tour to see beautiful churches and old monuments, but my favorite part was seeing all of Quito from the top of a hill. On top of this hill resides El Panecillo, the virgin statue that looks out over all of Quito. She's kind of like the Ecuadorian version of the Statue of Liberty, looking out over the city as if she is guarding it. Apparently Quito was born as early as 500 BC, which is almost unfathomable for someone from a country that only has a few hundred years of history. El Panecillo was created sometime probably before the US was even founded!


What's more, the hill with the Panecillo reminded me of how great Creation and its Creator truly are. At the beginning of our stay here, we visited the Basilica in downtown, where I went up into a huge clock tower that was on top of an enormous cathedral wi flying buttresses. The sheer size of the church fascinated me. But from El Panecillo, the Basilica could have fit in my hand. And from the top of Mount Pichincha, the volcano we climbed a few weeks ago, even the hill with El Panecillo was barely visible. No photo can truly depict the view around me from that spot, but I will cling to the memory that Creation proves the greatness of our Creator God. The greatest cathedral men can make will pale in comparison to the great massiveness of the One who created those men. And for that I am thankful, because I trust Him to direct my paths!



Toward the end of the day, clouds began rolling into Quito. Literally, they wove through the streets of Quito much like the sandstorms of Sub-Saharan Africa. How can you NOT love the mountains when you see this view?!



Pretty colors all over this country... Can I paint my future house these colors??





Tons of old, beautiful churches- this one made completely of gold on the inside!



2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, you should see the scarf I wore today. I think you'd like it too.

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