Sundays in Old Town are a blast. The streets are closed down and all the vendors come out. There are musicians, mimes, and all kinds of street shows. I love Ecuadorians for many reasons but mostly because I do not have to be in the front row to see the shows! (At 5’ 3 1/2″) I am taller than most of the women and even some of the men.

I’m not sure if it is every Sunday but on the 4^th there was a parade from church to church and the Ecuadorians were dressed in native ceremonial costumes. We toured a few of the cathedrals all of which are beautiful but the most spectacular cathedral was the Iglesia de la Compańia de Jesus. This cathedral took 160 years to build and was under construction from 1605 – 1765. Walking into this cathedral is absolutely breathtaking and feels like you just walked into a golden palace. 23 carat gold leaf covers almost every square cm of the interior. I do not think that photos could have done it justice but it’s a shame we cannot show you pictures of the inside of this magnificent church, but photo taking is not allowed.

We walked across a bridge sort of away from old town and came across a local band. We stopped to listen for a while and have a video that I will post as soon as I get it sized. These people know how to have a good time! Old Town is definitely worth going to but do it on a Sunday when the streets are blocked off and the festivities are in full force! This will be hard to top.