Gothic Skyscraper with a Ecuadorian Twist

The Basílica del Voto Nacional in Quito and its soaring Gothic style towers

There was one sight that we wanted to see in Quito that we were holding in our back pocket, so to speak. We wanted the clearest weather possible for it, so every morning we would check the skies after breakfast. This morning, Day 3 of sightseeing in Quito, Ecuador, it was another, hazy, “Nah - let’s try for tomorrow.” Instead, we would head to the gothic looking Basilica del Voto Nacional. Soaring more than a football field high into the sky, it looks a medieval cathedral, but was actually built in the late 1800s.

Quito’s streets go up and down with the hills and are challenging to walk in the altitude, at times

Since we had all day to see it, we walked a little less than a half hour across town to it, watching Quito’s hilly streets go up and down along the way. We started out walking along the busy Calle Guayaquil — the one whose motorbikes and trucks had been a bane to our sleep throughout our stay. It was our third full day at Quito’s nearly 10,000 feet in altitude, but I would still feel the shortness of breath, from time to time. I’ll talk more about that in Day 4’s blog post, as we’d be ascending several thousand feet more for that attraction!

The church front with its pointed archers, statues, and bronze doors

Eventually, we arrived at the soaring gray stone church, and stretched our necks to look up at its giant towers. One cool thing about the basilica is that, instead of medieval gargoyles, the church’s builders carved native animals of Ecuador into the sides of the basilica and along its surfaces. The exterior of the left hand side of the church (when looking at the altar) has the most variety of animals. I spotted creatures that resembled llamas, iguanas, armadillos, and even boobies (the bird, not the…well, you know). It is a nice touch, I think, that gives the basilica its own uniquness.

A row of Ecuadorian style gargoyles on the church’s side

After looking at the pointed arches, statues, rose windows, and bronze doors on three of its sides, we decided it was time to go in. We paid for our entrance so that we could go up into the towers, which I was looking forward to for their views. I mean, you’re in Quito, right? You have to go high up and see the view from above! We started in the main part of the church, though. The long, narrow nave has statues of saints placed every ten yards or so, and the archways between them point towards the incredibly high ceiling. The stone on the inside has a faint pink hue, while some colored lights give it a green cast in parts. Adding to the splashes of color, multiple hues of the stained glass windows shone in brightly in the bright morning sunshine.

Three of the nave’s stained glass windows

There was a large gathering of people in front of the altar. A military class was getting its group picture taken in the basilica, and various photographers, families, and tourists were snapping photos of them in their dress uniforms. Interestingly, beneath the altar was an elaborate nativity scene with flashing Christmas lights. It sprawled for more than twenty feet in front of the altar. With its electrically lit buildings and miniature hill, it looked more like a model train display with its white blinking holiday lights. Behind the altar was an elaborately decorative chapel with candy cane striped maroon and gold columns. The tile facings were beautiful, patterned blues and yellows, while the colored light from stained glass windows all around added their rainbows to the spectacle.

The view looking back at the bell tower from the central tower

After that, it was time to ascend the twin bell towers. Much to my surprise, they had an elevator that goes most of the way up. I’m used to having to climb claustrophobic circular stone staircases to be rewarded with views, but this isn’t a church from the Middle Ages, I remembered. Of course there would be an elevator! The first tower we climbed was one of the bell towers. Once we got out of the elevator, we had to go up about four to five floors. As you climbed around and around, there was something different on each floor — a bar/cafe, a souvenir shop, and display about the building of the church, and so on.

The view across Quito to the rounded hill with the Virgin Mary statue

Finally, we were at the top and Quito spread out before us. The streets were canyons dug between the orange and brown rooftops stretched out below. I could retrace the groove of where Calle Guayaquil ran from far beneath us to somewhere in the distance where our hotel was located. Behind that, a rounded hill rose, crowned with the aluminum statue of the Virgin Mary we had visited on our first day of sightseeing. With my telephoto lens, I zoomed in on various churches or other buildings. This was definitely the highest we’d been above Quito (so far — till tomorrow!), and the view was like a jigsaw puzzle. So many intricate little parts depicting neighborhoods, churches, smaller hilltops, domes, and more.

The incredibly steep ladder/staircase to the central tower

Now that we had climbed this tower, we weren’t done. There was another tower directly over the altar (I believe) to climb! This climb included a very steep ladder — too much of an angle to really call a staircase — to the viewing platform. This is one of those “don’t look down” while you’re climbing ascents. I don’t have a fear of heights, technically, but occasionally run into views where your heart is in your throat and you get a dizzy feeling when you look down. A definite case of vertigo — and you don’t want that while on a ladder! Once atop, the coolest view was to turn around and admire the twin bell towers we’d just come from. Each was crowned with central steeples and more than a dozen mini-steeples climbing upwards like a pyramid, they were set beautifully against the backdrop of the city. This view alone was worth the climb and admission. Their light gray stone mirrored the bright, hazy sky. Their huge circular clocks in the face of each tower no longer worked and both the hour and minute hands told two different times.

Looking down at a school from way atop the church towers

Looking below, I zoomed in on a large school, I believe, judging by the soccer and basketball courts crowded with kids. The two and three story buildings across the street from it had bright facades and a Renaissance vibe. It was fun to pick out other buildings and telescope in on them with my 300 meter lens, seeing brightly-colored laundry flapping on clotheslines, and quiet, sheltered cafes with someone sipping a coffee and contemplating the view. Hilltops jutted out of the maze of rooftops here and there in the 360 degree panorama. We tried to pick out tomorrow’s destination — the 15-minute cable car ride up the volcano that loomed over the city. Another traveler pointed it out to us. It was a case of being completely fooled by the scale. The tiny gondolas were mere dots ascending the dark green slope — much smaller than what we’d been looking for!

A closeup of one of the “gargoyles” - I believe a booby

We began the long way down, stopping in the choir high above the nave to listen to the singing and church service going on below us. We ducked outside to take pictures of the various Ecuadorian style gargoyles on the left face of the church. There had been a lot of walking around, so we agreed it was time to enjoy a cold beverage at a souvenir shop cafe in the church courtyard. I hadn’t bought a souvenir yet, so was intrigued enough by a t-shirt I found in one of the shops to pick it up. Honestly, half the reason I got it was because I felt that I had under packed for warm weather by one or two shirts (and overpacked for cold, which we weren’t really experiencing).

Walking back through Quito’s historic district

We took a long, meandering way back into town through parts of historical Quito we hadn’t seen before. There were a lot of people out walking and various sellers had set up stands with trinkets, handicrafts, and artwork. There were small bands of musicians performing on the streets, with people dancing or taking cell phone videos. We found the Place de la Independencia. There seemed to be political speech being given, judging by the fervency of the speaker and the alternately accepting and rejecting expressions on the faces of the crowd. There was an election this weekend for President, and the political events would seem to ramp up as we headed towards Sunday and voting day.

A display from the Museo de la Ciudad about Simon Bolivar

After lunch, we walked to see the Museo de la Ciudad. Located in a building from the 1500s, it was formerly a hospital. I had high hopes for it as a history museum, but it was unfortunately a disappointment. My favorite period, the pre-Columbian, was covered in one room. The other parts dealt with life in Quito, the different social classes, up through the years till the modern time. I am not sure why it didn’t spark my interest, but unlike yesterday’s museum, it was a bit boring. The displays were not very interestingly done, which didn’t help. And the nearer it got to present day, the more the extended the coverage of the time period. And consequently, the less my interest…ha, ha!

Another look at the basilica through one of the windows

Finally, we got a surprise that evening at dinner. Much like in Colombia a few years back, an upcoming election meant two days of no alcohol sales countrywide. So much for experiencing the brewpubs of Quito! Nevertheless, we were enjoying the sights of Quito, so far. One more day to go, and the sight we had been holding in our back pocket since arrival!

The colorful chapel behind the altar at the basilica