The Watsons are Headed to Spain!

We had our last Sunday walk with Chuck and Nancy for awhile.  Our Sunday walking companions are headed out on their next adventure.  We already miss them and can't wait until their return home.

Here are some pictures from Sunday...

We had to check out the progress on the renovation project for the cultural center. 

We were surprised to see that smooth dirt all torn up again.

Had to check on the cute pets for sale at the market.

The entertainer at the New Cathedral has yet another outfit...

There was a celebration outside the Church at the Flower Market!  A military band was playing their version of our favorite 'Chola Cuencana'. 

A procession came out of the Church and continued down the street.

New grafitti near the Square pushing education.

By the time the Watsons are back, we should know what this is all about in our neighborhood...

Safe and Happy Travels to Chuck and Nancy!

Another Day on Av Munoz

We decided to continue the walk down Av Munoz, from Borrero toward Av Huayna Capac.  A very old part of Cuenca.  The neighborhood has been renovated a bit, compared to how it must have looked in those old days.  The still-narrow street was clean and looked like it had been repaired fairly recently.  At one time, we suspect it had been a dirt road, one of the main entries to town.

(Ruth, we know your map of Cuenca is right next to the computer.  Time again to walk with us!  Find Av Borrero and Av Munoz...Munoz runs above Av Sangurima,  below Pio Bravo...We're walking toward Av H Capac.)

Here are pictures from that day.

Old Military building with a new one next door.  No close-ups of the military compound.

Street scenes.

Old stone work and adobe.

An old Church, now a school.























Looking down side street, Av. Cueva.

You can see San Blas' dome on this side street, Av M Vega.

Setting up.

Folks eat well in this neighborhood!

We bought 10 tangerines for a buck.

At Av. H Capac, off to the left is an old plaza, called El Rollo, with a beautiful old statue of la Virgen de la Merced. 

(We're still trying to determine what she is holding...we think they are symbols of justice.)

This is one of the original entry points to Cuenca.  Goes back to the late 1700's.  It was also the location for public hangings.

(A longer view of the plaza and Virgin.)

 



We really enjoyed exploring this old neighborhood in the northern area of Cuenca.
Off the beaten path and so fascinating!

(Ruth, if you and Art were here with us, we'd be stopping for hot chocolate just about now to warm up!)

Av A. Vega Munoz and Onward

This is part 2 of our 'walking fools' day.  This day's recount begins on the previous post, where we began down Av. Lamar from our apt.

Munoz is a street of contrasts, as many neighborhood streets are.  We walked this area on a Tuesday morning, but it felt like Sunday...not much traffic and an occasional bus.  It did get busier as we got closer to downtown.

Here are some pictures.

You'll notice the ever-changing sky.

Old and new together.

The truck in this picture is carrying yellow propane tanks.

Modern hair salon.

We cut over to Borerro.

This is a technical school near the CA Kitchen.  Interesting art work.

We passed the Red Cross.  Headed down Borrero, toward Calle Larga and the Coffee Tree.

Remember when we decided not to take pics inside La Merced Church during the services?  (We wanted to be respectful.)

We found the church open again, no services, so here is a pic.  Beautiful.







From the Coffee Tree, we headed down the stairs to the Inca Lounge for lunch at the river.

After lunch, we headed across the walking bridge over the river toward Parque de la Madre (Mother's Park). 

We hadn't really noticed this building before...






From the Park, we walked through the neighborhood a bit, enjoyed an ice cream treat, then back to Av Solano for a taxi home.  We felt lucky to get a cab, as the afternoon rains had just begun!

Another interesting walk through our City and another fun day with friends.

Stay tuned for more walks, more neighborhoods...still lots to see here.

Revisiting Mariscal Lamar

One day this week, we headed on out for a walk...little did we know at the time we'd be walking clear across the City!  Hadn't planned it, just happened.  We're happy to report we survived the trek, with a few breaks with friends.  It wasn't a power walk, by any means, as we saundered along, taking pics, chatting, checking out the scenery and watching our feet.

It really didn't take too long to do the route...As you get to know the neighborhoods, you'll realize just how walkable this compact City really is.  We took a coffee break, walked, then a lunch break, walked...we even managed to hail a taxi for home along Av Solano as the afternoon rains began.  (Not bad, considering we left the apt about 9:30am and got back to the apt mid-afternoon.)

This is part 1 of our 'walking fools' day...

We hadn't walked down Av Lamar for awhile, so we headed out our old way...
Up the hill, past the Punto Deli onto our old familiar walking street.

Some changes to report...

There is a new park, all done, with fun-looking play equipment for the children.

AND, new signage!  Reminders to clean up after your dog.  These are the first such signs we've seen here in Cuenca, may there be many more!

We stopped to give one of our favorite doggies a pet.  He's such a sweetheart.

Construction at La Cuadras is progressing.

Fruit in the back of a truck, maybe headed to market. (Tangerines, we think.)

A costume shop we hadn't noticed before.

We cut up to Munoz, headed downtown...we'll do that portion in our next post.

Great truck!