-JW Marriott quito hotel |
 JW Marriott Hotel Quito | Arrival at the JW Marriott Hotel in Quito was quite impressive. It's a lovely hotel with warm and friendly staff who are helpful at every turn. There is a grand entrance with marble floors, sweeping staircases and gigantic floral arrangements using locally grown roses which are abundant and nothing short of magnificent. |
Ecuadorian roses Our room was modern, clean and spacious. The only negative was that we were told not to drink the water. It wasn't the end of the world but it is inconvenient, especially when brushing your teeth. We take our water for granted here in the U.S. and forget that other countries don't have the luxury of turning on the water spigot and getting fresh, clean and healthy water which only emphasizes the need to be thankful for the simple things we are so lucky to have here in the U.S. The hotel offered plenty of free bottled water in the rooms and the restaurant area so finding bottled water was no issue.
We enjoyed an interesting and tasty breakfast buffet at the hotel at 7:30am and then met the rest of our group at 9:00am to depart on the Quito city tour. Michael lived in Quito when he was young and it is also birthplace of his younger sister. He was just a little tyke back then and was unable to remember very much but it was cool that there was a connection for the family.
Here's a little of what we learned as we trundled along the city streets on our tourist bus. Quito is the capital city of Ecuador and was built on the ruins of an Inca city in the 16th century. It sits at 9,350 feet. It is the least altered historic center in Latin America and frankly we were particularly happy about that. The buildings were a marvel with a mixture of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art. A fun fact is that the city itself was the first World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1978.
We enjoyed an interesting and tasty breakfast buffet at the hotel at 7:30am and then met the rest of our group at 9:00am to depart on the Quito city tour. Michael lived in Quito when he was young and it is also birthplace of his younger sister. He was just a little tyke back then and was unable to remember very much but it was cool that there was a connection for the family.
Here's a little of what we learned as we trundled along the city streets on our tourist bus. Quito is the capital city of Ecuador and was built on the ruins of an Inca city in the 16th century. It sits at 9,350 feet. It is the least altered historic center in Latin America and frankly we were particularly happy about that. The buildings were a marvel with a mixture of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art. A fun fact is that the city itself was the first World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1978.
Scarves 12 for $40.00 USD Outside in the Plaza de Independencia women dressed in typical Ecuadorian attire were selling brightly colored scarves. For about $40, I purchased 12 scarves to take home and give as gifts. Although the street vendors were persistent they weren't uncomfortably aggressive like in other countries we have visited in the past. I was happy to get the scarves and the sales woman seemed happy to sell them. It was a very efficient exchange.
Cathedral of Quito Our first stop of the day was at the Plaza de Independencia where we were able to go inside the Cathedral of Quito and take photos (without flash.) This church was one of the first and largest colonial churches in Quito and it was beautiful and elegant with gargoyles protecting it on the outside and ornate stained glass windows on the inside. We arrived during mass and did our best to be quiet during the service but there was a lot of clicking going on.
El Theatrum, Quito For lunch we ate at a wonderful place called the Theatrum Quito Restaurant and Wine Bar. Served buffet style we ate a delicious ceviche, empanadas, rice, chicken, and zucchini in a tomato sauce. There were various options for dessert but all in all, it was pretty good. My favorite being the ceviche and the empanadas.
During lunch we were entertained with live Ecuadorian music and dancing. Several members of our group joined in the dancing.
During lunch we were entertained with live Ecuadorian music and dancing. Several members of our group joined in the dancing.
Back on the bus our next stop was at the Jesuit College of La Compania. The monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía with their ultra rich interiors are pure examples of the 'Baroque school of Quito', a fusion of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art. La Compañía is probably the richest church in South America with its golden altar. It gave new meaning to the word, ornate.
For the most part, the city is laid out in rectangular squares with the streets pretty much aligned on the cardinal points of the compass. The houses of Quito are generally designed and built in the old Spanish or Moorish style using sun-dried brick. The better homes are covered with plaster or stucco.
Public buildings are heavily influenced by the Spanish. Facing onto the principal square are the cathedral, the government palace, the archbishop's palace and the city hall. The finest building in the city is the Jesuit church, the facade of which is covered with elaborate carving.
For the most part, the city is laid out in rectangular squares with the streets pretty much aligned on the cardinal points of the compass. The houses of Quito are generally designed and built in the old Spanish or Moorish style using sun-dried brick. The better homes are covered with plaster or stucco.
Public buildings are heavily influenced by the Spanish. Facing onto the principal square are the cathedral, the government palace, the archbishop's palace and the city hall. The finest building in the city is the Jesuit church, the facade of which is covered with elaborate carving.
After lunch our last stop of the day was at the Half of the World park and museum where the Equatorial line is located. It's 15km north of Quito and this park and museum includes several monuments representing not only Ecuadorian history but also local crafts, textiles and jewelry shops. Several in our group tried to balance an egg on the line but only a few were successful. We were pleased that a very dear person in our little entourage did so successfully! Yay Adam!! ;-)
Incidentally, upon returning to the hotel late in the day we were able to have our passports officially stamped indicating our visit to the Equator...which I thought was pretty cool. There wasn't much rest because we needed to have our bags ready to hand over to Ecuadorian officials to inspect for any items prohibited on the Galpagos Islands. This is the standard seeds, nuts, plants, rocks, etc.
Our 98 person group left for dinner at La Gloria Restaurant where we dined on ceviche, veal shank or chicken filet and a variety of different desserts. Overall, the meal was not as good as lunch but was still nice. The highlight was the aptly named wine, Dona Paula, an Argentinian Malbec. Beautiful.
Incidentally, upon returning to the hotel late in the day we were able to have our passports officially stamped indicating our visit to the Equator...which I thought was pretty cool. There wasn't much rest because we needed to have our bags ready to hand over to Ecuadorian officials to inspect for any items prohibited on the Galpagos Islands. This is the standard seeds, nuts, plants, rocks, etc.
Our 98 person group left for dinner at La Gloria Restaurant where we dined on ceviche, veal shank or chicken filet and a variety of different desserts. Overall, the meal was not as good as lunch but was still nice. The highlight was the aptly named wine, Dona Paula, an Argentinian Malbec. Beautiful.
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