Getting Ready for the Holidays

Cuenca is getting ready for all the upcoming celebrations!

The workers are already hanging flags along the streets and sprucing up the Square. 

(Flags = red, yellow, blue for Ecuador; red and yellow for Azuay, our State.
Solid red for Cuenca.)

Several workers at the Square with weedwackers, brooms and rakes.

All the plants are cooperating, too.

Lots of blooms in our Spring time.

Road repairs, this time at the Museum of Modern Art at San Sabastian.



The big November holidays coming up are All Soul's Day and All Saints Day (Nov 1 and 2), culminating in the granddaddy of all, our Cuenca's Independence Day (Nov 3)!

 In past years, Cuenca rocked with crowds, art shows, fireworks, music and one long party for the week.  We're expecting the same this year. Also, we expect traffic will be busy on the roads and airports as folks come and go.  Many families leave town this week for a vacation out of town...usually the beach or their country homes.
Those of us who stay in town are in for a treat!

(You can go back in our blog to re-read our entries from past years' festivities.)

Christmas is right around the corner, too.  Decorations are starting to go up all over town.  Stores are packed with toys, animal crackers and Christmas candy.  Those sweet treats are favorites for the children.

Here's a shop window, displaying Baby Jesus dolls.

It's common for families here to create Nativity Scenes in their homes, so clothes for the dolls is also for sale, as well as the wonderful outfits for the Children's Parade on Christmas Eve and throughout the Season.

A variety of Christmas fabrics, too.

A shop window with Christmas lights.

An interesting gathering of beauty queens at the Square yesterday.  Not sure, but maybe they are practicing for the upcoming celebrations and parades.

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Bob, Rox and Coquita are headed to Cuenca soon to shop more for the Children's Christmas Party at the Coast.  If you'd like to contribute to all the fun for the kids with Papa Noel, you can read more here:
http://bobnrox.squarespace.com/journal/2011/10/19/64-days-until-the-kids-party-time-to-giddy-up.html

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Some of our readers have asked about weather at Christmas.  Remember, our seasons are the opposite from the North...Christmas means Summer Time here!  In past years, it's been downright hot during the day.  Pack layers.  You can buy sun hats and sun umbrellas in the markets if you forget to bring them.  The evenings can still be chilly, so pack a jacket (or you can buy sweaters and jackets in the markets, too).  It also can rain some.  Weather can still change on a dime.

You can see we got some beautiful Spring weather for awhile yesterday.  Blue, blue skies.

Sunshine!











From Christmas, we roll right into Carnaval....then Easter....and more.


Party On, Cuenca!