http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog daily 0.75 2023-03-08 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/2015/11/17/gotta-start-somewhere monthly 0.5 2018-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447809553401-NQSGKCOC2G95LGZQVNBW/image-asset.jpeg Our travels - Gotta start somewhere https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447788413673-3D45GEC03IV7FD2IWWJ8/canola.barn.jpg Our travels - Gotta start somewhere http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/2017/10/18/past-adventurescoast-rica-2015 monthly 0.5 2017-10-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508339492814-VBT4ZW4FJDTNM995RZ7B/drake.airport.jpg Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 Drake Bay Airport, two airlines fly in here, but never at the same time so there's no line ups at anytime. A couple of benches to wait on and a gift shop with nothing much in it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508347621553-93X1PGUGZHL5HSTQPC3R/hotel.jpg Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 The courtyard of the hotel where you can have breakfast each morning, and sit around the pool in the afternoons. There is lots to do in the area as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508344190782-LPJYKCZE65YC6CSOV83F/image-asset.jpeg Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 That tiny strip just off center is the landing strip at Drake Bay. If you over shoot it it's into the ocean. The beaches are grey from the volcanic sands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508347755878-AS2CX7XWI69K8A2XXROQ/MMA.jpg Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 This very palatial building is actually the former airport in San Jose, which was located right in La Sabana Park, until it outgrew the place. This was the control tower for the airport. The city has restored the building into the Museum of Contemporary Art, which has a fantastic collection, free admission and a beautiful sculpture garden behind it, where the planes pulled up to the gate in the past. The upstairs room that was formerly the lounge for first class passengers, has amazing carved wooden walls which illustrate the history of Costa Rica. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508348727524-TTNF635TJHQB1MFIFLR4/sanJose.JPG Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 The square in front of the Gold Museum. There's a few nice parks close by, as well as lots of street vendors and markets for snacks and treats. Everyone here has a sweet tooth for sure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508345498717-XZ8B5OOVMG65NN1U9CWJ/pvbeach.JPG Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 This is Playa Cocles, about a mile south of town, safe for swimming, good for surfing and right beside the road south. We were staying across the road, so this was our beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508346153423-UB8DUEZ1VIKN612W0KFC/greenfrog.JPG Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 This tiny frog which came out after the afternoon rain, looks very pretty but is deadly poison.Things can be deceptive here, but always lots of interesting wildlife and natural beauty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508347015929-RCUH0G0NN6A7N6E9GCWB/anteater.JPG Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508347014311-ZIIUHB5PIUOPBLMRZ2K1/sloth.JPG Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508338375424-50BMFIP68NMY7SN0PAP1/isla.contoy.JPG Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 Isla Contoy, located about a 30 minute boat ride from Drake Bay, lots of fish and wildlife on the way there. Several other tours there at the same time, but lots of space, the snorkelling was OK but the water was a bit stirred by from wave action so the visibility was limited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508343748849-LSOJHIQ2VBGNT4P6NVE8/whaletail.jpg Our travels - Past Adventures/Costa Rica 2015 This is the famous beach called the whales tail. Obviously you only get this wonderful perspective flying over it. Near Uvita, on the southern Pacific coast http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/2017/10/25/a-beautiful-city monthly 0.5 2018-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1511811505709-LICFW72UPLYLRED6BVSB/IMG_0474.jpg Our travels - A beautiful city One of the most beautiful train rides we've taken, up through the Brenner Pass into Austria, where everything is so perfect and organized and efficient. Even the fields look like they've been cut by hand with a mover. It's hard to believe that the landscape can change so dramatically in only four hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1511812335799-EQ3B0RUAVQHG2O67RJFQ/IMG_0460.JPG Our travels - A beautiful city One of the beautiful sunsets alongside one of the many bridges that cross the Inn River, one of the two rivers in the city that gave it it's name. The Brucke is the much smaller and less significant river close by. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1508940281086-TBG55HQ4KXRBNQSDUWWR/venice1.jpg Our travels - A beautiful city Flying into Venice, the watery city, on an early fall morning. This gives you a sense of scale of the city , it really is quite small and easy to get around it all on foot or by vaporette. The huge cruise ship docks are up front and the Lido is at the far back of the image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1511810039593-3E03R52UZ2VEOH8RLSRY/IMG_0443.JPG Our travels - A beautiful city A modern watery sculpture located on he walkway just outside the entrance to the Bienniale grounds. The tidal actions covered and uncovered it as the day went on. We could find no indication of who the sculptor was or when it was installed. http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/2018/1/17/amazing-oaxaca monthly 0.5 2018-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517584812083-YHMNRBHUGOEB4TVN53MS/DSCN0598.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca Roof top at Cafe Olla https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517593066687-R6WUXTWP9JA2MP6W4GMC/DSCN0518.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca The cascading frozen waterfalls of Hierve el Aqua, which is actually solid deposits of limestone that have trickled down over many many years. There are only two sites in the world that have this unique geological formation, the other is in Turkey. Very dry mountain forests everywhere, all the way down to the Pacific. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517593769538-DHWLUYAOKVHYANB16SAI/DSCN0573.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca Monte Alban, the site of the Zapotec hilltop town dating back almost 1200 years, looking down into the valley with Oaxaca city below. There is a very nice museum, cafe and shop at the entrance to the archeological site itself. There's no need to go on an organized tour here, you can easily take a taxi from the city and walk about yourself. There are also guides for hire at the site, if you need one. It's very hot and dry here by the afternoon when it starts to get very crowded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517592985445-H73Y960PY9HGCFFPEYFE/DSCN0514.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca One of the pools at Hierve el Aqua, Oaxaca State, Mexico https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517592769222-HQAVHGE02ULPB4EQWBYJ/IMG_0672.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca Looking towards the Templo de Santa Maria and the mountainside convert venue in the distance. View from Cafe Olla https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517582665479-R41K6MWNP0UJQ7EXTCMN/DSCN0602.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca The courtyard of the Rufino Tamayo Pre-Hispanic Art Museum, [www.rufinotamayo.org.mx] this is an amazing collection of artifacts and artwork collected by Rufino Tamayo, and donated back to the city. All housed within his former residence. One of the nicest displays of artwork in the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517584624704-N2U2KW3NU9BXYPXXBD8G/IMG_0669.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517585837319-VLV7S745FBHH54OOZC8H/IMG_0670.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca The courtyard of Casa de Las Bugambilias https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517582033273-19GF7E8NF4FI3L8FGS33/DSCN0463.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca The interior of the Templo de Santo Domingo   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517583578137-TMFDJ8DIB7B69A9W2614/DSCN0499.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca This is El Arbol del Tule a 2000 year old Montezuma cypress tree which is considered one of the oldest, largest and widest trees in the world. It's located in the town's centre growing in the plaza and the atrium of the church Santa Maria de la Asuncion which is to the left of the image. The main road was reconstructed around the square as there were concerns that pollution and vibrations from the traffic might damage the tree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517581199864-4YEG7M0GN22ZIDGI7189/DSCN0459.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca The Templo de Santa Domingo, one of the most beautifully preserved Catholic churches in Oaxaca. Rivaling some of the beautiful churches of Rome it is located in the central area of the city, an area identified and protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517581090711-0XAAD5JY6PI63ZE9L274/DSCN0524.JPG Our travels - Amazing Oaxaca Looking across the main square in Oaxaca, hot and hazy and usually packed with people http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/2018/2/6/paris-always monthly 0.5 2018-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1518190429800-5Z5BJTJ98T3KHHQSD0NV/DSCN0692.JPG Our travels - Paris, always It's definitely a city for walking. Along the Seine, through it's entire length on both sides are great walkways, away from cars and surrounded by green space in many cases. This is the walk from Place de la Concorde down towards the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519649901235-FQ82HURNEQX9SVS4ZPDQ/DSCN0753.jpg Our travels - Paris, always The back streets of Montmarte https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517930217628-NO2D7ZEFUFNPJSIKUOMY/DSCN0666.JPG Our travels - Paris, always The Fountain of the Medici's, build by the famous Italian family from Florence. A calm tiny grotto area by the Palais de Luxembourg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517922787051-N27S55QHUUEJR4ITF9A9/DSCN0711.JPG Our travels - Paris, always We had a ParisPass while here, which included the ubiquitous tourist boat trip down the river. It's actually a nice way to see the city from another point of view and it was a beautiful day as well. Near the turn around point of the ride, Jardin Des Plantes and the Natural History Museum on the Left Bank. Notre Dame from the back ahead of us.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519648734826-L3IIO9GV1P0YUBUDEN2F/DSCN0681.JPG Our travels - Paris, always One of our favourite museums was the Musee D'Orsay. Built into a totally renovated train station, it's amazing collect of artwork focusing on 19th century painting on the 5the and sixth floor is worth the visit. There's also a nice cafe on the 6th floor to stop and relax for a while. the Museum is huge and could take a full day and beyond to enjoy. Take it in small chunks and it's a nice place to visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517923690172-G52O8146Z88DGCW1DKHA/trocadero.jpg Our travels - Paris, always The gardens behind the Trocadero, that cascade down the hill to the Seine and the bridge over to the Eiffel Tower. Down by the street there's lots of hawkers and tourist junk for sale. Beware of pickpockets in this area everyone said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519648315542-H8NA4XE5PXT0YOG755QV/DSCN0661.JPG Our travels - Paris, always The flying buttresses of Notre Dame Cathedral, most visitors spend all their time in front and inside but the architecture of the building from the exterior is amazing. There's also a tiny pocket garden at the back of the Cathedral that's worth the visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517929982547-57ADW2DJ4PN78910YR2M/DSCN0665.JPG Our travels - Paris, always The back of the Palais de Luxembourg, the gardens here are stunning and huge. It's a vast green space in the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519650164961-93E7W7E3XF0M524N1GR6/DSCN0757.jpg Our travels - Paris, always https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519649070061-WAY3GP9MN4H9TS47UTNN/DSCN0760.jpg Our travels - Paris, always The Hill of Montmarte, in the 18th arrondissement gives you a wonderful perspective on the city, and where the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur os located. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519650324625-9XN74TJ0QTJAAD9ABMU5/IMG_0878.JPG Our travels - Paris, always http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/ParisLibPass monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Oaxaca monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/textiles monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Food+in+Paris monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Lido monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/food monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Venice monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Tourism monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Plaza+Tour+Eiffel+Hotel monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/archaeology monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Italy monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Innsbrucke monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Alebrijes monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/blog/tag/Paris monthly 0.5 http://www.nigelgroe.com/trees-1 daily 0.75 2018-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447809830487-OQ4K3ADIY2LPX7OOCVRC/tree.3.sm.jpg Tree portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447810200185-J10XZBL7HMHX5R9XNOSF/tree.8.sm.jpg Tree portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447809901469-RI45ZFN3LZR6RCLOX7RJ/tree.no.5sm.jpg Tree portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447809998649-XUWKY58XQSQZNVKSZSWQ/n.roe.1.jpg Tree portraits https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1519825467341-PYCBVPWP07XECCR4WYH9/tree.jpg Tree portraits http://www.nigelgroe.com/chinese-elm daily 0.75 2016-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447789430002-GE57WJBRBK887SEGK74W/image-asset.jpeg Chinese Elm http://www.nigelgroe.com/hinoki-cypress daily 0.75 2015-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447875204709-9UYXM8XZR5NO2RU541Z7/hinoki3.JPG Hinoki Cypress http://www.nigelgroe.com/about daily 0.75 2017-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447956721097-84UBVXJJZW0D4BX3LXCU/image-asset.jpeg about http://www.nigelgroe.com/new-page daily 1.0 2017-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1517580228821-ZHYI78DV8JS63JLDLLBU/front.view.jpg welcome http://www.nigelgroe.com/roenigelgmailcom daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447790001472-8AGXPVKRNEUAG6PN3UJV/surprise.crows.jpg contact http://www.nigelgroe.com/test daily 0.75 2015-11-18 http://www.nigelgroe.com/tamarack1 daily 0.75 2015-11-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5636616ae4b0ef5e7b4257e4/1447788956516-6MT1279D2Z38LAN4CBWR/tamarack3.jpg Tamarack