1st few days

The New Cathedral of Cuenca, as seen from Parque Calderon

We have been trying to explore the city as much as possible these first few days, balancing the needs of the adults with the kids.  Our first stop was El Centro (the old historic section of the city.)  The most iconic building in Cuenca is  the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, more commonly referred to as the New Cathedral of Cuenca, and it is easily recognizable from many points around the city by its beautiful blue domes.  It is situated across from one of the busiest parks, Parque Calderon, and is about 1 mile from our apartment.  We took the bus there (more later about the adventure that is bus-riding in Cuenca), but decided to walk back in order to explore more.  On the other side of the cathedral is a flower market that can be smelled before it is seen:

In addition to the heavenly aroma, it is incredibly inexpensive.  One dozen perfect roses are $4.00.  Just beyond the flower market is one of several mercados, the best places to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and meats.  It is also necessary to haggle for the best price.  We exited that market with 6 mangoes, 1 pound of strawberries, 1 pound of cherries, 8 mini-loaves of assorted breads and a small bag of cookies for $5.00.  We were patting ourselves on the back for getting such a great deal, but we may look back on this first experience in a few months and realize what newbies we really were.

The rest of the walk home along the river included a few more churches, entertainment from Craig and a little bit of complaining from the girls about the long walk.

                              

Tomebamba River

As I mentioned above, in order to keep some amount of peace and sanity in the family, we have had to balance sight-seeing and meeting our basic survival needs (where do we buy diapers or wash clothes? how do we find an apartment within the next 3 weeks?) with the girls' need for some kid-centric fun activities.  Enter Parque de la Madre.  This beautiful new park, approximately 1 mile from our apartment and a lovely walk, has multiple play structures, a planetarium, tons of green space for picnics or running around, and is surrounded by a 3-lane running track.  But the highlight of the park, at least for our kids, is the ZIP-LINE!  I have a great video demonstration by Sofia, but am experiencing technical difficulties.  Maybe tomorrow it will cooperate.  Buenas Noches!