Last weekend, we went to Oswaldo Guayasimin's Capilla de Hombre (Chapel of Men) and Casa Museo (a museum of his home) and it was incredible! I'm at my happiest in an art museum, so this was a real treat. We were lucky to have tours of both places in english. Guaysimin really painted from the heart and was highly influenced by the politics. His Capilla de Hombre was an incredible building with massive pieces of art. If you are ever in Quito, this is a must in my opinion. I plan on going back again at the end of our trip to see it all one more time and purchase some art.

Here are some photos of Guayasimin's home. It took over a decade to built and he built it with the intention of it becoming a museum one day. The whole building felt very thoughtful and was filled with light. I wouldn't say no to living here!

It took us three tries to visit this museum! Talk about lost in translation. Tours are at specific times and the website we found for the museum is not very helpful at all. It's a beautiful building right in old town. The architecture of these old homes is amazing!

Did this house live up to trying to visit three times? Well, it was free. But, I couldn't understand anything the tour guide said. It was all in very rapid Spanish! Regardless, the house was beautiful and the tour was less than 30 minutes.

I can't say I loved everything about our apartment in Quito. It wasn't very clean, the kitchen was sparsely equipped (for example, when we arrived there were only 3 forks), and the curtains were pretty much sheer (Conor made a make-shift curtain out of garbage bags in the middle of one night - that's true love!). 

However, our location was ideal. For one we made friends with our neighbors. We were a short walk to our Spanish school and our chapel. We were close to parks, museums, and old town. One thing we loved about that apartment was that because it was on a busy street, we walked into the busy-ness of the city as soon as we walked out our door. So many people, so many things to buy and see! I loved that energy.

One location we were close to was old town. There were always a lot of police in old town and a lot of people! Old men smoking cigarettes and playing cards. All the benches full of people. It was a fun place to eat chocolate and people watch. But do not buy anything from any of the stores. They are 100% overpriced. Go to the market instead.

In old town Quito, we came across a most amazing art exhibit. The art, split into 4 sections, portrayed the indigenous people over the last century. It was beautiful and moving. "Hard working" is the theme throughout it all. I loved, loved this exhibit. In fact, when we first discovered it, we were only able to view the first section before it closed for the night. Naturally we had to return at a later day.

Also that baby of mine scooting on her bottom down a perfectly lit hallway.