Parades in Cuenca - Part 1

Before we ever came to Cuenca, I read alot of blogs about what to expect.  And it seemed like everyone posted stories about all of the parades that are constantly going on aaround the city.  Pat and I arrived in Cuenca at the end of last April and we never saw ANY parades for months.  It seemed like we were never in the right place at the right time.  Well, ever since we returned to Cuenca after the holidays, we have seen numerous parades throughout the city, so I am going to post some of my favorite pictures.  I saw this first parade on Diez de Agosto when I was walking home from church a couple of Sundays ago.

Aren't those kids adorable?  And the thing that I thought was even funnier was that as one parade was ending, another was beginning right behind the first parade.  I think it is also funny that these kids are dressed as miniature Santas, even though it is January.

A couple of days later, there was a special celebration for President Correa's 5 years in office and my friend, Anita, and I went over to see what was going on.  Here are some photos of that celebration:

There were people everywhere.  And the celebration went on into the wee hours of the morning.  In fact, we live only a few blocks from el Estadio (the stadium) where the celebration took place and fireworks went on until after midnight.  You just never know what might happen in this town.  Expect the unexpected!!