City Tour - Caitlin

Seeing just the bits and pieces of the city last night/this morning I knew that Quito was going to be incredible, but I didn't realize how breathtaking this city is. When I walked into La Iglesia de Compañía, I was in awe. Every microscopic detail hand crafted to perfection and how big and grandiose it is blew me away. I'm not sure if it was the soaking wet shoes or what, but I got chills being in there. I think I'm with Diego; I will never find a more beautiful church. 

 The history of Quito amazes me. Learning the information from someone who knows the history and has deep connections with Quito makes me feel more connected to the city and the people. Being in the room where they declared independence and hearing about the struggles and battles it took to be a free county was one of the most interesting parts of the tour for me. When we found out that Britain and the United States had an impact on the revolution and helped Ecuador and the other countries gain independence, I was surprised. I had known about the revolution and the impact of Simón Bolivar, but I didn't know all of the other little things contributing to the freedom of Ecuador.

 A lot of things surprised me today, I was in a constant state of awe and amazement. What shocked me most was the size of Quito and all of the incredible historical sights there are here. The city just kept going and going and the buildings kept getting taller and taller. Looking down at the city is both breathtaking and a little intimidating. I'm not sure what I expected, but seeing how much this city really has to offer surprised me. Maybe I was still stuck in country mode, afraid of public transportation and looking for corn fields. 

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