CAPTIVATING CUENCA

Yikes! The buzzing in my ears hasn’t stopped. “Enough already!” you’re shouting. “Stop all this philosophical stuff and tell us about Cuenca!”

All right, all right. Con mucho gusto. Keep in mind, though, that we’ve only been here a few months, so experts we’re not. We’ve still got a lot more exploring to do and “flavors” to be tasted, which I promise to keep you up on. But the next few blogs will give a peek into what we’ve found so far.

CUENCA'S CHARM

Cuenca is an awesome city. Big enough to offer lots to do, yet quaint enough to get to know easily. I see it as having three distinct personalities - Spanish colonial, indigenous, and modern - all woven into one fabulous tapestry. This could take me awhile to describe, so I’ll just start with one aspect today.

OLD-WORLD SPANISH COLONIAL

One of the first things we did (and we’ve done twice more because it’s so cool), is to take a double decker bus through the city. The tour begins in “El centro” ~ the heartbeat of Cuenca ~ where you step back into spanish colonial times. You pass down cobblestone streets, past gorgeous classic buildings, museums, tree-lined river walks, stone bridges, church steeples keeping watch from every direction, and up to the hill of Turi for a fabulous overlook of the city. It’s a perfect birds-eye orientation of charming Cuenca.

The tour (and everything else) begins and ends at Parque Calderon (Calderon Park),  the quintessential hub around which everything else spins. People are everywhere ~ hustling, bustling, shopping, touring, or just spending a lazy afternoon on a park bench, enjoying the show. It’s definitely the place to see and be seen (especially Gringos - we tend to stick out, even to each other!)

Looming large over the park is the spectacular New Cathedral. Like a magnet, there’s no way to resist being drawn into its massive arched doors. Once in, despite all its grandiosity, an incredible sense of peace washes over you. Back outside, peer up at its dramatic blue domes. Wherever you go in the city, those famous icons will always 

point you in the right direction.

El Centro is definitely the area to head to to “feel” Cuenca’s vibrance ~ from its indigenous roots, spanish colonial history, to the moving and shaking spirit of today. Tomorrow I’ll take you to see more. So many “flavors” and so little time!