My second day in Quito.
I was happy to have arrived on a long weekend. Having an extra day to ease into a new city was an unforseen blessing, and I was happy for the extra day to acclimate not only to the altitude but to the pace of a new city.
Having spent the day before climbing the towers of the Basilica, I decided that I may as well climb the mountain to visit the Virgin of the Panecillo. The walk was but a few kilometers, but once I was out of the Centro Historico, it would be a pretty steady climb up to the statue.
Iglesia de San Francisco.
Along the way, I walked through the plaza grande and passed the Iglesia de San Francisco and, seizing the opportunity, decided to stop in for a visit. Past the front door, I entered a manicured courtyard dotted with palm trees. The corridors surrounding it housed religious paintings and artifacts, and I made my way through the exhibits until I came upon the entrance to the the attached church.
Inside, my eyes were blinded by the light reflected by the gold that adorned every surface of the church. It was as if every cornice, moulding, and beam were covered in it. The room shimmered with it.
From the church, I climbed the bell tower for a view of the square and the surroundings. It was an easy cilmb compared to the day before, and I was rewarded with views of the basilica (the site of my visit the day before) on one side and the Virgen (the site of the visit to come) on the other.
Back outside, I walked to the edge of the centro historico and then up a plain road towards the Virgen. Halfway up I found a set of stairs and began my ascent along that path, moving slower and slower as I climbed higher. In my mind I thought of Zeno’s paradox, and wondered if I’d ever make it to the top.
When I arrived, I was rewarded with closeup views of the statue. A series of stalls lined a small parking area selling trinkets to tourists. I bypassed them and paid an entrance fee to climb to pedestal for the view.
The weather started to turn while I was at the statue and rain threatened my descent. I thought about taking a cab but thought the better of it and descended the way I came, passing back through the grand plaza on my way home, where I settled in and prepared to start my first week working from the city I would call home for the next month. 🇪🇨