Cuenca

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Cuenca, city of ice cream. Or, at least for us. The first night we found a hoppin ice cream and dessert shop right on the corner of the main plaza, and I decided then and there to eat only cake and ice cream for the rest of our stay in Cuenca. Although I did end up eating some things more substantial than chocolate, we still managed an impressive three visits in one day. Note tiramisu for breakfast is not a viable choice, no matter how badly you want it.

Besides sweets, Cuenca had some beautfiul churches and a really nice museum. The museum ticket came with admission to their own little park with ruins, gardens, and even a section with native birds. That was probably the highlight for me. We saw raptors and parrots and water birds all in very well made little aviaries with waterfalls and plants. The birds were so active, and it was fun to hear the parrots speaking in spanish. The gardens were really nice too, with just a huge variety of plants and little water features with turtles and fish.

All in all Cuenca was a nice break from traveling, and helped us get over our dislike of large cities. Next we are off to Vilcabamba, and hopefully a few days of laying around in the sun, and enjoying the pace of small town life.

Danielle (and Oliver)

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Photos

The Museum
The only photo we were able to snap before the camera died. Pity.