Having gotten to sleep quite late, we would have all chosen to sleep in, but we were determined to give this “organized tour” thing a fair try for a our day in Quito. It was already paid for and seemed like a very sensible itinerary. So we hauled our tired selves (tired, but not Europe tired!) out of bed, and to breakfast buffet in time to board busses shortly after 9am. Our first stop was the National Basilica, an impressive example of neogothic architecture. While the church invites comparisons to other gothic cathedrals such as Notre Dame, the gargoyle forms are non-traditional and based on local fauna such as iguana, tortoises, jaguars and our favorites, the fearsome anteater gargoyle! We walked around the inside and outside of the church and assessed the impact of the altitude
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