Tour de Quito

We have been reaping a harvest of cheap transportation here in Quito. Two examples. A 20 minute taxi ride from where we are staying north of the city to downtown is only $2-3 depending on your negotiating skills. Or if that is too pricey you can spend a quarter on a bus. We used these means...as well as our feet, to do the following the past few days...

In the Iglesia de San Francisco. I think this guy won. By the way David, this Baroque architecture screams, "Retire here!"

From the Iglesia de Compania with a view of the Iglesia de San Francisco.  If your vision is really good you can see the pigeons below. There is a legend that the man charged with building the square could not finish the square in time. So he made a deal with the devil to finish it in one night for him in return for his soul. The man hid one of the stones and thus was able to cheat the devil, keeping his soul. The pigeons are the demons that helped the devil build the square, and the pigeons, aka demons, only haunt this square in Quito.

Simon!

In the rafters of the Basilica del Voto Nacional. Two seconds later Brigitte fell through the rafters into the church. Psych.

Climbing the rafters and Brigitte pushing through a mean case of vertigo up a ladder meets stairs meets non OSHA approved iron work earned us this spectacular view of Quito. Old town Quito is not lacking in opportunities for Catholics to attend church in style. We visited three breathtaking churches within walking distance of each other.

YIMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!

We took the Teleferico (a cable car) into the mountains. The Teleferico is the the tallest cable car in the world. It goes from 10,000 feet to 13, 000 feet. BAM. Then we got high...er. 

And higher.

We rested near the top of Pichincha. This volcano is about 15, 500 feet. We put fourteeners to shame. In Brigitte's hipster words, "Fourteeners are overrated."