On our trip to the Galapagos Islands we spent 2 nights and a day in Quito at the beginning of our trip. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in the center of the city called the Hotel Patio Andaluz.

During our day in Quito we took a guided tour. We started out by visiting several beautiful churches including the Basilica of the National Vow. This is styled after the Cathedral of Notre Dame. One of the coolest things is that instead of gargoyles the church is decorated from animals native to the country such as Blue-footed Boobies, Iguanas and Jaguars.

We also visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito which was very ornate.

Next we travelled to a statue called the Virgin of El Panecillo. It sits on the hillside above Quito and provides great views of the city.

After lunch, we visited the Middle of the World Museum. This museum is situated directly on the equator. We took pics of us straddling the equator and they also had several experiments about differences in what happens on, above, or below the equator. Water Down the Drain at Equator

Our last stop was a nature reserve called Pululahua where we viewed a beautiful volcanic valley.

After a short night at the hotel it was off to an early start to fly to the Galapagos Islands!