La Ciudad Antigua

Walking through the old city.

 Last Saturday I did some touring around Quito, which I really haven't done much of. Angel, Holger and I went to la ciudad antigua, or the old city area. It looks very different from the rest of Quito, as the government is very strict about maintaining the original appearance and color of the buildings. The architecture is very european - and I really liked it! We visited a church and had a tour, which made me feel like I was back in my art class in Spain touring cathedrals. Even though this church was baroque style, which we didn't really study our tour guide used a lot of vocabulary I'd learned in class. We also went to the Palacio de Carondelet - where the president lives! So, its kind of like going to the White House, only it was free to go in and have a tour! We just needed to leave identification with a guard. And they took our picture when we first entered and gave us a printed copy at the end! It wasn't huge, but it was very nice and well-decorated. They were also a ton of gifts from various countries on display - china and dishes from all over the world and other random things. Kind of like the president's souvineer display. While we were on the tour I met two Americans, a father and son. And the father grew up in Orchard Park (the town right next to mine) - small world! The old city is probably my favorite part of Quito!

A plaza marking some historical events.

The church La Compania de Jesus.

Inside el Palacio de Carondelet.

The photo of Angel, me, and Holger in the palacio.