Today was our first full day in Ecuador and the city of Quito was full of experiences. Our travel day on Saturday was long and pretty sleepless (but a layover in Miami was kind of best case scenario), but this definitely made up for it! We started off by walking to the Cathédrale de San Francisco where I was amazed with the intricate architecture and gold detailing throughout the inside. Today was Mother’s Day and Sunday, so mass was packed with people, and we quietly did our best to make our way through the church. We then had the opportunity to take a tour of that area and see the square from on top a roof, as well as the inside of the church from above.

After a delicious lunch of empanadas, which were huge by the way, we headed up the hill to see the Basilica. Climbing to the top was such a surreal experience and I was really glad I don’t have a fear of heights! The stairs to the top were basically a ladder, but it was totally worth it. We were all a bit tired so we stopped by a local chocolate shop to reenergize and I bought my first of many chocolate bars.

Finally we ended the day by taking a taxi up the steep hill to the Virgin Mary statue and climbed to the top of that as well. I liked the continuity of our sightseeing today, from listening to worship of Mary, to seeing her huge statue watching over Quito. The view of the city was amazing, and I didn’t realize how large it was. We couldn’t see the end of it! After dancing with some locals later that night, I came back satisfied with my first day in Ecuador. I can’t wait for more!