La Merced Church (Iglesia de la Merced) Quito Ecuador

The original Basilica of La Merced in Quito was probably constructed by the priests of La Merced in the 1500s or later. This building was badly damaged in 1660 due to an earthquake. Finally, new foundations were laid for the new Church of La Merced in 1701. The main tower was finished in 1736. In 1747 the completed La Merced Church was inaugurated. The main altar was built with intricate carvings in 1751 by Bernardo de Lagarda. Inside the Ecuadorian church you will see a fine stone statue of Our Lady of Mercy. It is said that this sculpture has saved Quito from many volcanic eruptions as well as earthquakes.

There is a fountain that holds a statue of Neptune, a pagan god and on the walls there are artworks by Samaniego, Pinto, Hernando da la Cruz and Victor Mideros. All very impressive and inspiring.

Legend says that the tower, the only unblessed part of the church, is possessed by the devil. Supposedly the only person strong enough to resist the devil was a bell-ringer named Ceferino, and no one has dared enter the tower since he died in 1810.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito

Ecuador's city of Quito is well-known for its impressive architectural heritage. Visitors strolling through the city will discover elaborately designed and masterfully built churches and cathedrals housing some of Ecuador’s exquisite works of art, carved images and golden altars. One of the greatest of these is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito which is located in the Independence Plaza, also known as Plaza Grand. The Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito a Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest temples in South America.

Construction on the Metropolitan Cathedral began in 1562, with various additions and renovations being made after damage from volcanos and earthquakes it finally stood completed in 1806. A fine historical example of past architectural styles, its construction features styles such as Baroque, Mudejar, Rococo, neo-Gothic, neo-classical, and even Moorish. The arches feature late Gothic design, while the main altar is more Baroque in nature. Notably, the choir area is Neoclassic and the ceilings boast Moorish styling.

It also has an important collection of artworks such as The Shroud, one of the most intense work by Caspicara, The Death of the Virgin by Miguel de Santiago, and The Denial of St. Peter, among other important colonial paintings.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito is the resting place of many well-known people. This includes the tomb of Mariscal Sucre, Antonio Jose de Sucre, who was instrumental in the fight for South American’s independence from Spain. Mariscal Sucre was killed on June 4, 1830 and finally laid to rest in the Cathedral on June 4, 1900. Also buried here is Cardinal de la Torre, who became the first Roman Catholic bishop in Ecuador to be promoted to cardinal, he died in 1968.

Latitude 00 00'00"

Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, just north of the center of Quito, was the originally measured equator line in 1736. Then along came the GPS and they discovered that the true equator was only 250 meters south of the monument in the above photo.

At the Intiñan Solar Museum they lay claim to being on the true equator, and is a tourist attraction that is just about the same as being at Santa Clause’s House in North Pole Alaska. It was a fun couple of hours spent watching and partaking in the demonstrations of the Coriolis effect, the strength tests, and balancing the egg on the head of a nail. Now truth be told the Coriolis effect demonstrations are bad Physics and a slight of hand (or sink) tricks are just that, tricks, but we played along and enjoyed our time. Balancing the egg on the head of a nail however was achieved by me, not once but twice.

Look at his shock and surprise at my amazing egg balancing feat!

Actually it was the heat that caused the face.

Fun time at the equator.  Latitude with attitude! 

Earthquake ~ 6.34 a Good One for Sure

This is the biggest shaker that I have experienced living in Anchor-Town as of yet.  It sure would be nice to keep it that way. We were just sitting down to supper, and a good thing for us the menu was warm and comforting potato soup.  

Sleep tight my friends!

Pululahua ~ Smoke of Water

The Pululahua area is a caldera (a cauldron like volcanic feature) that forms from a collapsed volcano after it empties its magma chamber, in what is typical of a very strong eruption that weakens the internal structure of a volcano. For Pululahua this happened about 2,500 years ago. The caldera has three lava domes, Pondoña, El Chivo, and Pan de Azucar, which formed in the years following the eruption, after the volcano collapsed. The highest elevation of this volcano is the Sincholagua Hill on the north eastern side of the caldera at an elevation of 3356 meters, 11010 feet.

The enormous strength of its eruption covered the coast of Ecuador with ash, destroying many cultures nearby and others as far away such as Chorrera near Bahia de Caraquez, in the province of Manta. The ash covering most of the archeological findings of the Chorrera Culture confirm the date and the effects of the Pululahua volcano eruption.

It was a pleasure to spend time with our tour guide for the day, Israel. We learned so much from each other, us about Ecuador and him about Alaska and a few American English colloquialisms that filled us all with laughter.

Even if you cannot read Español, I bet you can tell me what this sign means.

It was a beautiful day hiking and exploring middle earth.

Posado Mirolindo ~ Our First Nights Rest

We arrived late into the evening at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, and after we had passed through customs and immigration for Ecuador we were greeted by the owner of Posado Mirolindo. It had been a very long day of traveling and we were glad to have someone there to pick us up and a cozy room to rest and refresh.

Quito Ecuador

Quito (pronounced key-toe) is the capital city of Ecuador located in the Guayllabamba River Basin on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha volcano in the Andes Mountains. It derives its name from the Quitus people, who inhabited the region before the Spanish conquest. In 1533 Sebastian Benalcazar took possession of the native town, which had been a successful capital of the Seyris and the Incas, and in 1541 it officially became a Spanish city.

The population of Quito is 2,671,191 million, as of the latest census in 2014. It was the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1978, and is located on the la mitad del mundo – the middle of the world.

One of the most notable features about this area, which stands out to us low-land Alaskans, is the fact that the elevation is 2,850 meters high, which is 9,350 feet. Oxygen is available in the air but at a different percentage than we are used to, so as we climbed the tenth or so step we found out that that was a good time for a little breather. I always seemed to find something to stop and take a photograph of during our hikes around old town. "Just taking photos honey, I'm not catching my breath"!

High Five Friday for the Best Seats On-Board

Welcome to Atlanta Georgia USA, our lunching point to Quito Ecuador. 

High five Friday for the best seats on-board (when you do not have to be the one flying the plane) as we celebrate our first trip to South America.

It took us 23 hours of traveling time to get from home to Quito, and a trip end spoiler... it was 26 hours of traveling to get back home again.  

Long flights but totally worth the journey.

Quasar Expeditions & the M/Y Grace

We traveled to the Galapagos with Quasar Expeditions and spent eight days and seven nights aboard the M/Y Grace, and we could not have been more pleased with our choice. They truly do provide memories for a lifetime!

Below is a bit of history on the Grace from Quasar Expeditions website.

"Born in 1928, Camper and Nicholsons, the oldest leisure marine company in the world, producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people, constructed the M/Y Grace in Southampton, England.

She weighed 298 tons, was 147 feet long, with a 23-foot beam and a draft of 12 feet.M/Y Grace bore many names since Santiago Soulas, an Argentinean, commissioned her just before The Crash silenced the Roaring Twenties. Soulas named her after his daughter Monica, and kept her four years before selling her to Zarch Couyoumbian, a Greek gentleman who named her Rion. In 1938, Sir George Tilley, chairman of the Prudential Insurance Co., acquired and enjoyed her until 1939, when the British conscripted her for the war effort."

For the rest of her history please got to the Quasar Expeditions website.

The M/Y Grace has been well maintained and is the pride and joy of the Captain and the crew that operates her in the Galapagos.

Traveling

Where do you want to go and what do you want to see? Some of us have traveled near, to and from our home base, and some have navigated far distances, but no matter where you go, traveling for each of us holds different goals and destinations. When we are asked why we chose to travel to the Galapagos, we are not sure how to give a simple answer. Was it adventure? Was it to see a specific animal or bird? Was it to see old churches and marvel at the works of art that they contain? Yes is the answer, it is all of the above and more.

We saw sights that invoked wonder and met fabulous people along the way that are what I call, salt of the earth. Follow along in the coming weeks as I recap our recent adventures.

The sky is the limit!

Off on an Adventure

We are off on an adventure. See you in a few weeks! 

Do a little exploring via the web at the Galapagos Conservancy!

Just Can't Get Enough ~ Biking Fun

With b-e-a-u-tiful trails such as these, you can see why we just can't get enough bike riding fun!

I am very proud of the bike that my awesome husband built for me out of parts from random bikes we found at the transfer site in Fairbanks.  The transfer site, a.k.a. the country store, is most widely known as the dump.  It's a GREAT bike!

When you aren't looking the guy behind you just might be goofing off. You should know that I took this photo while I too was riding down the path and just pointed the camera behind me and push the shutter. Lucky shot if I do say so myself.

The dead standing trees are what the locals call the ghost forests.  These trees were damaged during the 1964 earthquake and have since then died.

Just another fabulous day out riding bikes along Turnagain Arm with my fella.

What are your favorite places to ride your bike or walk?