The Bowen Knot ⌘: Our Cuenca Family Tour ~ Flower Market, New Cathedral, Old Cathedral, Bus Tour "South," Dinner at the El Dorado Hotel, and Flowers *PHOTO POST*

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Our Cuenca Family Tour ~ Flower Market, New Cathedral, Old Cathedral, Bus Tour "South," Dinner at the El Dorado Hotel, and Flowers PHOTO POST

*** Our Cuenca Family Tour ***

Flower Market

Catedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepción

"New Cathedral"

Its towers are truncated due to a calculation error of the architect. Had it been constructed as planned, the foundation would not bear the weight of the full towers. In spite of the architect's immeasurable mistake, the New Cathedral of Cuenca, completed in 1885, is a monumental work of faith. A combination of Romanesque Revival and Neo-Gothic in style, the church's blue and white domes have become a symbol for the city. Its façade is made of alabaster and local marble, while the floor of the nave is covered with pink marble, brought from Carrara (Italy). At its inauguration, the newly constructed Cathedral could accommodated 9,000 out of Cuenca's 10,000 inhabitants at that time.

Iglesia de El Sagrario

"Old Cathedral"

Built in 1557, the edifice eventually became too small for the town's attendants. In 1880, a new cathedral was built as the replacement. The old cathedral, no longer consecrated, has been restored and used as a museum.

Cuenca, Ecuador Bus Tour "South"

We know, it is a cheesy, touristy thing to do, but at only eight bucks a head an open-air red double decker tour bus will let you see many of Cuenca's historical locations. There are two different tour routes that depart at various times of the day. There is the South or North route and the best part is the $8.00 ticket per person allows you to take both tours. To catch the bus you will need to head to Parque Calderón on the opposite side of the New Cathedral.

We took the South route. During the tour we went down many El Centro Streets, we went past the Incan ruins of Pumapungo, and we headed up to the mountainside village of Turi which overlooks the city. The tour is in both Spanish and English alternating with traditional Ecuadorian music in the background.

Heather's Photos

Amanda's Pictures

Dinner at the El Dorado Hotel in El Centro Cuenca

We Ended the Day with Beautiful Roses Dan Bought All of Us Ladies at the Flower Market in El Centro By the New Cathedral :-)

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Our blog is about a lot of things. Our daily lives, our move to Ecuador, and the vacations we plan to have. Please read and follow our travels through life. We welcome comments! Making friends along the way would also be great. People have described us as being colorful and animated. Our family looks at a glass and always considers it to be half full. We have an easy going attitude. We think things should get accomplished and that in the process you can still have fun. Feel free to come along on our families journey.

The Bowen Knot - Shamrock Rating System

One Shamrock: This indicates the worst service possible. If awarded, it means we would never EVER use the service again. If it was a food establishment the food was barely editable. This means a complete fail with little to no redeeming features. We will never go there ever again.

Two Shamrocks: This is a service that we might consider using again to give it a second chance. But, the experience that we had would normally cause us to award one shamrock if not for some key redeeming features. If it was a food establishment the food was okay, but still sub-par. We didn't like the food. Serious room for improvement exists.

Three Shamrocks: Normal middle of the road service. We might have had some bad or some good but they were offset somewhat. This is service we would use again but we will look for a better provider. If it was a food establishment the food was good. We like it and will return. There might be room for things to get better but it is still a decent meal.

Four Shamrocks: Great service. This is a definitive repeat for us. We like a lot about the service and recommend it. If it was a food establishment the food was excellent. We liked it a lot. We like the place enough to return frequently. There are very few detractors.

Five Shamrocks: Outstanding service. This is service that treats us above and beyond what we think we deserve. We consider this what we would want to find all the time and what we hope all service providers would want to obtain. If it was a food establishment the food was perfect. No issues whatsoever. We loved it and would eat there everyday.