Arrivederci Denver, Ciao Siena

Being with Charlie--our favorite Denver pasttime!

We haven’t written much lately; apologies to those who have been waiting on tenderhooks.  Our life here in Denver pretty much revolves around Charlie and family, though we have managed to take in some movies, good live theater and lots of walking.

 These days Charlie is learning to walk, so he wants to walk all the time, which means we walk.  His usual modus operandi is:  he comes up to you, pulls on one of your fingers, wraps his little hand around it, and starts walking to where he wants to go. This past weekend he took off walking solo and has been doing so ever since with a huge grin and often giggling gleefully, sometimes so much so that it makes him fall down. 

Besides walking with Charlie, we try to take a daily walk along the south Platte River or just along 16^th Street in downtown Denver.

So what does retirement mean for us?  Some days we ask ourselves what did we do before we retired, because there is not enough time to do everything we want to do. 

Both of us are trying to live a little healthier. One of our friends (thanks Tom Fisher) told us about an App that monitors what you are eating and the exercise you are getting: “My Net Diary”.  Keeping a daily food diary is incredibly revealing; until we did so, we didn’t realize how much we were eating and sometimes how badly. We are also fortunate to have a very nice exercise center here in our apartment building—it makes it easy to roll out of bed, dress quickly, and take the elevator down to the center. Let’s hope that we can keep up our resolve, once we are back on the road.

We are also enjoying the opportunity to see some theater here.  The Denver Center for Performing Arts is just one block away from our apartment building, so it is very easy and convenient to take in a show. This month we have seen one Broadway Musical—“Jekyll and Hyde” and two plays: Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” (thanks to Erin who gave us a gift certificate for Christmas) and “Grace, or the Art of Climbing”, a new play whose author we can’t remember.  The fun thing about “Grace” was that we met one of the actor’s who was staying in our building.  She got us complimentary tickets and we loved feeling connected to her and also to the stage manager, whom we had also met here.

Another entertainment treat for us was seeing a simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera production of “Rigoletto”.  We thought we would be among a very few in attendance, but when we arrived a few minutes before the start, we found a full theater with perhaps 400 or 500 people, so we had to sit up front in the third row.  This is a new production set in 1960 Las Vegas—it really worked well for Rigoletto, depicting the same sort of decadence and duplicity as 17^th century Italy.  Seeing other Met simulcasts will be on our agenda for the future and we highly recommend the experience.

 We will be leaving Denver at the end of the month and have plans to be in Europe for the next five months.  We have rented two separate apartments in Tuscany: March in Siena and April in Greve (Chianti).  We have also arranged to lease a car for our entire stay as we want to be able to visit a lot of the small hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria.

In May we will be going to Croatia and Austria, as we make our way to Germany.  We have been offered the use of an apartment in Munich for the month of June.  We hope to take some German language lessons and visit with family in Munich and Western Germany.  After that we will need to drive back to Rome for our flight home on July 16^th.

We have purposely rented two bedroom apartments in Italy because we hope that some of you will be tempted to join us.  We are already anticipating that one friend will join us in late March and early April.  If you are tempted, here are the links for information on the two apartments:

Apartment in Siena: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/184208

Apartment in Chianti: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/312849

Make those plans now: we would love to see you in Italy!

Charlie's First Birthday & A Nod to Jane Austen

We have been very remiss in keeping up with our blog—our faithful readers must have been wondering where in the world are Larry & Sue? After our return to the U.S. on December 22nd, we spent a wonderful Christmas Holiday with Sue’s family in Maryland. We then drove to North Georgia, stopping along the way to visit with friends, finishing up with another wonderful visit with Larry’s family.

But, as you might imagine, we were most anxious to get to Denver to see our grandson, Charlie—and his Mom and Dad, of course. We arrived in Denver on January 12^th and have been really busy getting settled and most importantly getting re-acquainted with Charlie, which has been grand and so much fun.

Today is Charlie’s first birthday—although we celebrated the event this past Saturday with a big “Muppet Playroom” blast. It is hard to believe, but just a year ago we were impatiently awaiting news of his arrival—now we have a charming, almost walking little guy.

Charlie in his element at the Toddler Park

 Sue and I are besotted with him—and whenever we are out with him, people often feed our enchantment by telling us what a cute baby he is. At one, he wants to hold your hand and walk, but when that gets to be too tiring he will fall to his hands and knees and tool across the floor at warp speed to his desired destination. 

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

He is bright and happy—we love his belly laughs. There is a toddler playground very near our apartment, and on sunny days we enjoy taking him there. He is seemingly fearless and loves going down the slide, often face first, laughing hysterically and anxious to crawl back up and start all over again. 

Charlie, deliriously happy at the end of the slide.

Bryn and Grant planned his birthday celebration for several weeks, picking the music playlist, selecting a Muppet movie to show during the party, and making homemade musical instruments.  The guest list included 10 kids, most under the age of two, and about 30 adults, many of whom live in their neighborhood. The menu included homemade cupcakes topped off by Miss Piggy and Kermit rings.

Charlie, listening to the Playlist for the Birthday Party.

Charlie’s paternal grandparents, Shirley and Greg, their cuz, Debbie, and Charlie’s Aunt Erin flew in to join the festivities. Other guests included Grant’s extended family many of whom live here in Denver and are an important part of Charlie’s life.

Aunt Erin and other friends showing off the Cupcakes

The party was a huge success, with proud parents, adorable children, fun family, lots of balloons, good eats and drinks…and we’re not sure Charlie even knew it was all for him.  He crawled around with the rest of the kids and got lots of hugs and kisses.

Charlie's girlfriend, Taylor D, waits for him to ask her to dance.

On Sunday, the entire extended family was able to celebrate Charlie’s christening.  Charlie thought it was a lot fun—but the pastor just didn’t let him play in the water long enough. Afterwards we all (except Debbie and Erin who had to catch planes), had a celebratory brunch.  The First Birthday Weekend was fantastic !

Charlie telling the Priest how to conduct the baptism.

Oh, one small piece of trivia—today, Charlie’s first birthday, is the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Larry’s favorite book and what he considers the best novel ever written, Pride and Prejudice. Thank you Jane Austen for making our lives so much richer and entertaining.

Oh, one small piece of trivia—today, Charlie’s first birthday, is the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Larry’s favorite book and what he considers the best novel ever written, Pride and Prejudice. Thank you Jane Austen for making our lives so much richer and entertaining.

Feliz Navidad

To all of our friends and family--we wish you a wonderful Christmas and hope that you are surrounded by loved ones. We also want to share this nice video from a friend of ours, Vivian Slade, whom we got to know at the Jazz Society of Ecuador.

Vivian Slade singing My Favorite Things

And for those of you who like to keep up with Charlie--the latest video from his mom and dad--we are so excited about seeing them for the Holiday and then spending a few weeks with them during January and February 2013.

Wising for all a wonderfully warm and Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous 2013!

Cuenca--Saying Goodbye

House above the river Tomebomba, on the famous El Barranco (cliff with "hanging" buildings)

Our time in Cuenca has gone by all too quickly.  As we prepare to leave, we have some reflections:

First and foremost is what a good experience our Spanish lessons have been.  Our young teacher, Lucie, is a delight and soooo patient. Despite each of us making the same mistake time and time again she patiently corrects us, even though we and all of the other Gringos she has taught over the years continue to make those same mistakes.  One day you feel like you can converse and the next day, you wonder if you can form a complete and coherent sentence in English, much less Spanish.

We were fortunate to find a comfortable apartment pretty close to the center of town.  We can walk to Parque Calderon, in about 15 or 20 minutes and one or both of us usually does so almost every day.  Even the car alarms have receded  into background noise.

Strolling the streets and browsing through the markets continue to be delights.  The indigenous people, and there are quite of few of them here in Cuenca, dressed in their traditional garb are always fascinating to see.  Almost all of them, men, women, and children, wear some kind of hat usually a fedora or a variation on the Panama hat.  All wear very colorful clothing, and the children are absolutely beautiful.

Beautiful little girl in a desfile ( procession)

A boy, usually from a wealthy family represents the holy child

With the Christmas season upon us, one of Cuenca's unique celebrations involves "Passage of the Holy Child" parades.  Almost every neighborhood mounts one--just this Saturday we heard a band passing by, ran out to the street and caught a parade going through our neighborhood. We understand that the Christmas Eve desfile will last for several hours--sorry we will not be here to see it.

Nacimientos (creche scenes) are an important part of the Christmas season.  Every home has one or more, and the city's Official Nacimiento is huge, abstract,  and made of what looks like aluminum foil.  We're told it is mobbed with people most evenings since it is brightly lit (and must be blinding).

Cuenca's Official Nascimiento

A elaborate nacimeinto in one of the local museums

Sitting on our patio on a sunny morning, enjoying breakfast is one of the great treats of our little apartment.  When we arrived it was overgrown with weeds and had that "junk yard" feel, but with a little TLC it has become  a great retreat.  Sue often had her Spanish lesson there.  It really has made up for the frequent car alarm symphonies.

Rio Tomebomba and walkway

Walking along the river—something we didn’t do nearly enough.  This past Saturday was an incredibly beautiful day in Cuenca.  Bright blue skies with very few clouds; lovely breeze to cool you off when you were in the sun, but not too much so that you were chilly in the shade.

The weather continues to be a surprise each day.  As the locals say, you experience all four seasons in one day. ( Just read an interesting article on the local gringo website about Cuenca weather—it is wholly unpredictable from day to day and hour to hour, but you know that it is probably going to be cool much more often than warm, and with the record high temperature of 82 degrees F, it really will never be hot, although the sun is incredibly intense.)

 After a great walk along the river, we climbed uphill to visit the gardens and aviary of the Pumaponga Museum--so tranquil and relaxing.  We could have kicked ourselves for not having explored these gardens before now and hope to go back before we leave.  In a little copse by a pond was a hidden orchid garden (the orchids in the branches of the trees) and benches made of rounded stone, probably retrieved from ancient Inca structures. A more beautiful and peaceful setting would be hard to find.

Many wonderful birds in the aviary

No venture is totally idyllic.  We have some negatives, like the horrendous traffic and crazy drivers--it feels like you risk your life when trying to cross some streets.  Also the thin air and tremendous pollution (due to all those vehicles) makes breathing difficult.  Since walking is often uphill, you get out of breath pretty quickly and need to stop to rest often. 

 Some buildings look kind of dilapidated, but  a lot of reconstruction/face-lifting seems to be happening and is being done beautifully.  And, finally, when we walk, people don't engage us with smiles or even looks and often it seems they would as soon push us off the sidewalk, so you play "chicken" and see who will move first--and it is inevitably us! 

At first, these annoyances had us telling one another we wouldn't come back.  But with time, and especially with nearly daily discoveries of something unique, intriguing and/or beautiful, we have changed our minds.  Cuenca grows on you, and you realize there are so many things to discover and explore.  Eventually you would get to know people--both Gringos and Cuencanos--and could have an excellent life here.  Its big draw for Americans is that you can live very comfortably on a small pension or Social Security income and this is very true.

Finally, we will remember Cuenca's beautiful rivers, its well tended and peaceful parks and squares, the fascinating mercados and tiendas, the captivating culture, the joy of seeing works by its artists and artisans, the delight of listening to some of its talented musicians.

Stairs leading from the river up to the Cuenca historic district

We will always remember the melodic and romantic street  names, many named after historic figures:  Juan Jaramillo, Hermano Miguel, Marisol Sucre, Presidente Cordova, Simon Bolivar, Manuel Vega, Benigno Malo, Padre Aguirre, Mariano Cuevo.  Aren't they more fun than 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Main ?

Another view of the beautiful Tomebomba

Cuenca, Ecuador is a place we would recommend for a vacation or longer stay.  Not quite as "magical" as, say, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico perhaps, but it is still charming and interesting.

 

Alausí & the Devil’s Nose

Taking a rest on Market Day in  Alausí , Ecuador

This weekend, along with our friend Karen, we went to  Alausí , a small city about a four-hour bus ride from Cuenca.  And what an incredible bus ride it is ! (This time a positive experience).  We will include some photos from our trip, but it is truly impossible to convey to you the majesty and grandeur of the Ecuadorean Andes, the hair raising, stomach lurching bus ride on the Pan American Highway, the loveliness of a quaint seemingly unspoiled village, and the colorful scenes at every turn of the camera.

It's hard to describe the Grandeur of the Ecuadorian Andes

 It’s easy to get to Alausí—any bus going to Quito from Cuenca will let you off there as well as any other place along the highway as you go. Riding the bus gives you a great glimpse into Ecuadorean life, culture and economy. Cuenca and other towns we have visited are for the most part first world.  Cars, taxis, buses, and trucks clog the streets—rush hour, just like in the States, can last two or three hours in the morning and evening, and the vehicle caused pollution can sting your eyes and throat.  That along with the high altitude can sometimes make breathing a challenge, especially if you have to run to avoid an onrushing car or chase after a bus or taxi.

Riding along the PanAm Highway provides a revealing, if fleeting look into rural/country life. There are lots of one or two room houses, and you know most of them don’t have running water.  Tethered cows, horses, sheep, and pigs graze on the shoulders of the highways, and stray dogs and random chickens can be seen everywhere. Men, women, and children, most dressed in traditional clothing and often with heavy loads strapped to their backs, trudge for miles up or down steep paths that would be a challenge for us to walk a few hundred feet. On the other hand there are lots of very nice houses, although many of them seem incomplete.  An Ecuadorian sharing part of our journey told us that those houses usually mean that someone is working in the US or Spain and sending home money to build the house, so if the money has stopped, work on the house may have stopped as well.

Many houses, both old & new, hug the PanAm Highway.

Alausí is a small town with a lovely town square and quite a bit of charm. It serves as the market center for a large segment of the country around. It’s main tourist attraction is the train to the Devil’s Nose, or La Nariz del Diablo. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, British engineers, thanks to the labor of thousands and the deaths of many hundreds of Caribbean islanders, built a narrow gauge train system covering much of Ecuador; the major cities of Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca and all of the towns in between were connected by rail.  This system functioned more or less for much of the 20^th century, although corruption and neglect took its toll and about 20 years ago, much of the system was abandoned.

Larry in his recently acquired Panama hat at  Alausí town square

  Recently the Ecuadorian government has been investing in rehabilitating the rail system—although more as a tourist attraction than as a commercial artery.  The 15 kilometer line connecting Alausí to La Nariz del Diablo is one of the most important tourist lines now in service. The round trip excursion costs $25 (or $12.50 if you are over 65) and includes an hour stopover for shopping, eating and dancing entertainment by some of the locals . Our Saturday afternoon trip included only about 40 people, but during the busy season we were told by our sweet guide, Isabela, that hundreds of people visit.

Nariz del Diablo train engine with the "nariz" rock formation in the background.

 Again, it is hard to convey the impact of the ride. The Ecuadorian Andes are extremely high and steep and building a railroad through them was an incredible engineering feat. The passage through the Diablo was perhaps the most challenging part.  Originally called Condor Pass because of the presence of so many condors, the managing engineer renamed the area because so many hundreds of men died building the world’s largest zigzag around the mountain that looks like a crocodile’s snout. We thoroughly enjoyed our ride, though, but it was sobering to think of the sacrifice of so many lives to make it possible. We have included two short videos to give you some idea of the ride and the engineering required.

 

Following the train ride, we did some souvenir and gift shopping—both of us bought Panama hats. (Although called Panama hats, all of these finely woven, handmade straw hats are actually made in Ecuador.) We then caught a taxi for the three-kilometer trip to our hotel. The Pircapamba Hostería is a charming, but rustic hotel perched above the town of Alausí.  

Pircapampa Hosteria

Part of the hotel breakfast staff

Some of the gardens surrounding the Pircapamba Hosteria

 In a very bucolic setting, horses, sheep, and cattle graze in the pastures adjacent to the hotel, and chickens have free run of the gardens and grounds. We had a restful sleep under Alpaca blankets and were treated to a complete breakfast (unusual) with fresh fruit, hot bread, and just laid eggs. After wandering around in the gardens for awhile, it was time for us to pay up and leave, but after being summoned three times, no taxi from Alausí arrived. Our host, Daniel, offered to walk us into town.  The shortest route was along the new rail line, so we literally walked the tracks into town—fortunately it was only about a 15 minute challenging  trek.

Sue in her Panama hat, walking the rails into  Alausí from the hotel

 Sunday is market day in Alausí, and what a treat it was for us.  We bought very little—and in fact, many of the indigenous people really didn’t want to deal with us.  One young woman selling jewelry refused to talk with us or even show us her wares.  We found it very unusual and somewhat upsetting.  Still, walking among the hundreds of people from the countryside in town for their weekly shopping was a treat for the eye and other senses.

But about noon, we knew we had to catch our bus back to Cuenca. Although we had reserved seats, many people had to ride standing in the aisles.  Just as on our trip on Saturday, people got on and off all along the highway—many at spots where there certainly seemed to be no reason for stopping, so we knew that those getting off had long, often arduous hikes back to their homes.

Alausí's streets become a market every Sunday

Indigenous people from the surrounding countryside come to the Market

We certainly would call this trip one of the highlights of our time in Ecuador.  We were mesmerized by the rides through the mountains, the village of Alausí, the train ride, our small hotel, the sight of so many indigenous people going about their business (we seemed to be the only foreigners in town).  We left feeling happy and fulfilled to have experienced Ecuador as we had hoped it would be, pretty untouched by the commercialism that seems to have overtaken the world.

 

More Tales from Cuenca

When you are on the road as long as we are planning to be, there are certain things, like getting prescriptions, doctor and dentist visits that you need to try to do wherever you are.  Pharmacies are  ubiquitous here and seem always to have lines out the door.   We wondered why.  We learned that people only go to a doctor if they are gravely ill.  For the usual stuff, they line up at the “farmacia” and have a chat with the pharmacist who then doles out whatever medicine that seems appropriate.   The medicines we take you can buy over-the-counter (for high cholesterol and high BP—we are aged, after all), but cost as much as we pay after insurance back home.

Cuenca--Old ways & new.

This week we visited with an American trained dentist, Dr. Grace Ordonez.  She performed a cleaning for both us—she did everything in her tiny office, as she seems to have no other help—and urged us to come back to have some of our mercury based fillings replaced.  The cleanings were $40 and she says the filling replacements will be about the same for each.  Imagine the cost in the U.S.

With Eduardo Segovia at his studio

Sra Segovia in her garden

On Friday, we had a really great outing.  Our Spanish teacher, Lucia, arranged for us to visit a Cuencan ceramicist, Eduardo Segovia.  He began working at the age of six (he is now 72) because his father, a potter, was often drunk and the family needed the money.  He now has an international reputation and has exhibited in Australia, Europe, the US and other Latin American countries. He and his wife, who assists him, welcomed us into their home, showed us their workshop and talked about his work.  He was garrulous and full of good humor and bonhomie.  We fell in love with them and his work and would have loved to have bought many of his pieces, but settled on one.  He merges ancient forms with modern coloration in his traditional work, but also has many abstract and whimsical figures as well.  Google his name and you can see some of his handiwork.

One Friday evening, we joined another new friend of ours, Gladys, at Nectar (a café supporting the Jazz Society of Cuenca) for an evening of jazz. The emcee is a superb jazz pianist and other entertainers included a great Cuban guitarist, an Ecuadorian older man who sang “Dos Gardenias” among other Spanish love songs, and an American woman who has a really unique style and sang a lot of our favorites like “Girl from Ipanema” and “That's All" (I can only give you country walks in springtime, and a hand to  hold when leaves begin to fall...”.

Last Friday, Cuencanas lighted 4000 lumineres

This past Friday we returned and the conductor of the Quito Symphony was in town and visited Nectar with some musicians and friends for an impromptu jam performance.  At 10:30 pm, it was hard to leave but we knew we had to get up to catch a bus for a four-hour ride to Alausi, a small village north of Cuenca, early on Saturday morning.

 

Getting to Know Cuenca a Little Better

Coming back to Cuenca from the Galapagos felt like coming home in many ways.  We were so happy to get back to our little apartment and the bed that we had become accustomed to and to walk the familiar streets and shop in our local stores.

San Blas Park near our apartment

 But first, our tale of “the return”. From Baltra Island in the Galapagos we flew to Guayaquil and negotiated our return trip from the airport to Cuenca by private van.  At first, the van service told us that we would have to wait a couple of hours for the next van, but very quickly, enough drop in customers arrived that they willingly organized an extra van—so we were off.

And were we ever ! Little did we suspect that this trip would be even more harrowing than the one we described in a previous blog entry.  It was a nightmare of the first order.   We left Guayaquil in bright sun, anticipating a three and a half hour trip.  As soon as we hit the mountains fog and rain descended upon us and we ran into a massive highway repair project.  Our three-hour trip grew to more than six and a half, often through mud always amidst gasoline tankers, concrete block loaded trucks, buses, private cars—all trying to pass one another in fog as thick as pea soup, in the dark riding through steeply cliffed areas.  We couldn’t understand much of our driver’s Spanish, but when he said “No veo”  (I can’t see) as he raced along at terrifying speed anxious to pass anything in front of us, we thought this would be how our lives would end.  As you can see, they didn’t, but that will probably be our last van ride in Ecuador.  The buses are also crazy, but feel a bit safer.

Breakfast at Restaurant Don Colon's (in Panama hat) with our friend Karen

Back in Cuenca, we have tried to visit some of its museums and other attractions. Earlier we had reported on a visit to one of the city’s markets, but Karen, an American friend whom we met, turned us onto a much better one close to our apartment.  Bigger and cleaner, the 9th of October Market is both entertaining and practical.  We purchased two week’s worth of vegetables and fruit for less than $15.  For lunch we went upstairs and picked our favorite hog, laid out on a tile slab (one of about eight available) and the nice lady beside it, cut some chunks of meat and a bit of skin (cracklin’ in the U.S.) from it, loaded a plate with potato cakes laced with cheese and threw on a bit of “ensalada”—onions, peppers and herbs soaked in vinegar.  With a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, we feasted.  Erin calls this kind of eating “street meat” and she won’t touch it, but we’re brave.  It was “muy rico, muy saboroso” and we didn’t get sick !

Roast pork at the market--one of the culinary delight of Cuenca

A young Cuencana at the 9th October Market

We also visited two wonderful museums. The first, Remigio Crespo, is named in honor of the man who donated his early 20^th century ninety room mansion which now houses the museum.  It provides a history of life and culture in Cuenca in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. We were the only visitors at the time, and the guard was very helpful and informative, taking time to tell us about the museum, the house, and the family. 

Early 20th century portrait of a "Cholo Cuencan" in the Remigio Crespo Museum

 The second museum, Pumapungo, houses an art gallery, archives, and cultural anthropological exhibits. We toured only the latter, spending a couple of hours walking through exhibits covering the diverse groups of people making up the Ecuadorean nation:  coastal, Andean and Amazonian.

At the Pumapungo Museum. Mannequin is wearing an ikat shawl

 It piqued our interest in seeing more of the country than we have yet explored. The most popular section features a “shrunken head” exhibit about the people of the Amazon region.  You’ll be happy to know we learned only bad guys had their heads shrunk.

Outside are some Incan ruins, an aviary and some beautiful gardens, which we will explore later.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visits to both museums and were very grateful to the town of Cuenca for providing such treasures for us to share.

Cunari/Inkan ruins on Pumaponga Museum grounds.