The first morning

Our plane arrived in Cuenca after dark. There wasn't much that could be seen on the taxi ride to the hotel. We stayed at Hotel Los Balcones which was an old colonial home that has been restored and converted into a hotel. As the name implies, many of the rooms have Juliet balconies. I took these images the next morning before the city became too busy.

This was looking up the street to my left towards the busiest part of the city although I did not know that at the time. You can see a street vendor pushing his cart in preparation for the day's business.

Cuenca, which means basin, is indeed in a basin surrounded by the Andes mountains. This was looking straight ahead from the balcony.

And this was looking to the right.

The Spanish settlement of Cuenca was founded on April 12, 1557. The center of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site because of its many historical buildings. With only a week to explore, all we had time for was a sampler plate of beautiful, and often very old, architecture, perfect weather, friendly people and marvelous food.

This is looking down from the third floor indoor balcony, where our room was located, to the restaurant in the courtyard. The California Kitchen is owned by a couple from California who have moved to Cuenca to escape some of the "fundamental transformations" that are occuring in our beloved country. Thus the reason for our trip.