We've been in Cuenca for two days now and I love the place. The architecture is stunning, lots of beautiful colonial buildings and cobbled streets. The atmosphere is friendly and there's lots of cultural stuff going on. And the shops! Every third one seems to be a bakery or cake shop selling all manner of delicious treats. Needless to say I'm feeling a bit full up.
So far we've been to the Museum of Modern Art, which was great. Although the collection itself was small, it's housed in a low-slung white building with polished tile floors and quiet interior courtyards that is worth a visit in itself.
Then we had a look at how Panama hats are made. Contrary to popular belief, they are actually made here in Cuenca from palm fibres grown around Montecristi and Jipijapa, and not in Panama. The museum was interesting and I treated myself to a very fetching hat that will look great with a fitted shirt, jeans and heels :) Again, it was worth going just to see the building, which overlooked the river and the new town with the mountains behind. The curious little café attached to the museum was lots of fun, too.
We've been sampling a few of the bars in the evenings and my favourite drink of the moment is caneleza, a hot sugar-cane rum drink mixed with fresh orange juice and flavoured with cinnamon. Delicious. The odd carajillo - coffee laced with brandy - has also helped to keep out the cold. And cold it is! I slept in my thermals last night. It's dry though, so I don't mind it being a little chilly.
I'm hoping to go hiking in the Cajas National Park tomorrow, although I'm still undecided as to whether we should try it on our own or hire a guide. The guides cost a lot of money and I'm perfectly able to follow a marked trail myself. We shall see.
After a little sleep (we're all incredibly tired for some reason) we're planning on going to a free piano recital this evening, or possibly going to the cinema, as there's a European film festival on at the minute. Top banana. I'll let you know how things go...
