Cuenca, at Last!

If you like history, nature, handicrafts, museums, architecture, great restaurants, quaint coffee shops and shopping all within walking distance — come to Cuenca, because it has it all! Initially, I thought I could do one post for our three days in Cuenca, but I have since realized that’s impossible. So here’s episode one.

As usual, OAT has us staying in a strategically located boutique hotel. Once a private home for a large family, all the rooms are clustered around a central courtyard, which is now the reception area and restaurant.

Because this area was declared a world heritage site in 1999, the buildings have all been preserved, but many have been converted into hotels, restaurants, and shops.

One woman decided to rent her home, complete with all its furnishings; it is now a restaurant.

Before dinner, Lorena took us on a quick tour. What made this especially interesting was knowing this was how the former owner lived! Take a look at the opulence of just two of her rooms.

On our first morning in Cuenca, we enjoyed a walking tour of the city. Of course, the cathedral occupies a prominent spot on the main square. As you have probably guessed, the header of this post is a photo I took of the cathedral at night from the Negroni Restaurant.

My friend Jeanne always lights a candle for her husband whenever she visits a church, so I decided to light one for both our husbands. See that bottom row? My $1 coin lit that ENTIRE row of electric candles—sufficient to cover ALL the loved ones we both recently lost!

And yes, you read that last line right. I deposited a $1 US COIN. No longer will you lie awake at night wondering “whatever happened to all those $1.00 coins the US minted years ago that Americans refused to use”? We exported them to Ecuador, and from the worn looks of them, they are widely used.

During our walking tour, Lorena pointed out the entrance to the cathedral tower, so naturally, during our free time, I spent the $1.50 admission fee and climbed to the top. You can get a decent view of the square from the first landing.

Take a look at the umbrellas atop the building in the next photo. That’s Negroni Restaurant—it has great food, but it’s a bit of a challenge to find. Eric, Gail and I had dinner there on our “free” night. It took us a while to figure out you had to enter a clothing store, walk to the revealing women’s tops section, which is where the elevator hides out, then ride to the top floor.

I climbed all 162 of the tower’s spiraled stairs. My reward? This panoramic view of the surrounding area.

I pretended I couldn’t understand Spanish, so I ignored the sign that said “for your safety, seniors keep off” and claimed right up those metal bleachers.

SOME people might have noticed those menacing storm clouds, but my family won’t be surprised to learn I wasn’t one of them. Did I seek shelter? Go back to the hotel to get my umbrella or raincoat? I think we all know the answer to that.

Instead, I decided to support the local economy by buying gifts for friends and family.

So far, we had been unbelievably lucky with the weather. Up until Cuenca, the two times the heavens opened, we had been on the bus, and by the time we arrived at our destination, the sun was shining brightly. Not this time. I got SOAKED!

Cuenca gets most of its electricity from hydroelectric power, so last year’s drought had a severe impact on the city. When it rains, people here rejoice. So, of course I rejoiced along with them.

We have a flight tonight, so the next episode of Cuenca will probably be written at the airport…