Papagayo peninsula from the airplane

I will be showing you a series of photos of the Papagayo Peninsula during the next week or two, starting with the photos of the entrance that I have shown during the past three days. To get you oriented, here is a photo of Papagayo from the air.

The government fostered the development of this area for upscale tourism, and upscale it is. In the narrow saddle near the end of this peninsula is the Four Seasons Resort. The Arnold Palmer golf course is visible as the lighter patches of green.

The Gulf of Papagayo is to the right. Across the Gulf is a Hilton all inclusive resort. There are other resorts tucked away in the area. The newspaper just announced that Papagayo has been selected for the first resort in Latin America by Bulgari, the jewelry company that also owns 3 hotels, in Tokyo, Bali and Milan, with a fourth in London opening next year. The newspaper said that the Bulgari hotel in Papagayo will cost $100 USD to build and will have room rates of up to $4,000 per night.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we return to Bellagio and Lake Como to show photos from the Villa Serbelloni, a retreat for scholars owned by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Entrance statue

This is a closer view of the statues at the entrance to the Papagayo Peninsula. Each granite figure is bigger than a a car. The progression of four figures is evocative of birth or creation.

And creation is a good theme for the Papagayo Peninsula. The project is anchored by a Four Seasons Resort and an Arnold Palmer designed golf course, but when the entire Papagayo project is finished there will be 7 resorts and 3 championship golf courses. More on that later.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Entrance to Papagayo Peninsula

The trees I showed yesterday are part of the entrance to the Papagayo Peninsula. These statues are part of a huge water feature at the entrance. The guard station is at the right.

No one is allowed to drive down this private road to reach the Papagayo Peninsula unless you have a reservation at the hotel or restaurant or live at one of the houses or condos in this master planned development.

Note that the road is made of pavers. It is 7 km of paver stones on the roadway to reach the Four Seasons hotel from this entrance. I cannot imagine how much it cost just to pave the roadway.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Dense Palm Grove

I suspect that you will be able to observe several unusual or unnatural things about the grove of palm trees in this photo. They are uniform in size, height, and they are growing in rows right next to a manicured lawn.

These are obviously planted, not growing wild in nature like this. I suspect you may also be able to guess why someone would plant such a dense, dramatic grove of mature palm trees all in the same place.

It will all make sense in the coming days, as I am beginning a new series today that I hope you will like.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Langosta Condo

To add perspective to the photo that I showed yesterday, here is a wider shot with Julie on the bedroom balcony of our condo, next to the large balcony/patio off our bedroom and living room.

We love the balcony of our condo. We can hear the ocean waves, feel the ocean breeze, and we never tire of watching the sunset over the Pacific ocean.

This is the final installment in my series of photos of what is a rather typical walk along Langosta beach. I hope you have found it of interest and I hope it has shared with you a sense of our appreciation for why we enjoy having vacation property in Tamarindo and Playa Langosta.

I will show some photos of the Langosta beachfront houses near our condo in the future. But before that I will begin a new series tomorrow of an area that is even more upscale than Playa Langosta.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Happy birthday, Julie

Today is my wife's birthday, so allow me to say happy birthday by showing this photo of her, as she came out on the little "Juliet balcony" of the master bedroom of our condo after my little walk on the beach that I have shown you during the past few weeks.

We celebrated Julie's (milestone) birthday a little early by spending 5 days in northern Sonoma County wine country in California with 8 friends over the recent Labor Day holiday. Julie made all the arrangements for the trip, including special wine tastings, lunches and dinners, including a private dinner in the aging room at one of the wineries.

Although I have been serious about photography about 40 years longer than she has been, she is now a better photographer than me, as regular readers of her Scottsdale Daily Photo and Viva la Voyage photo blogs are able to attest.

I am sure Julie will be showing some photos from our Sonoma wine trip in the future on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. We enjoy Sonoma County more than neighboring Napa, as it is not as crowded, less traffic, the wine tastings are more relaxed and less touristy, and the wines in the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Alexander Valley are some of our favorites.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Back to our condo

Upon returning from my walk along the beach that I have shown during the last few weeks, here is the view of our condo building that awaits me from the beachfront gate that divides our condo from the beach.

All of the condos on the first two floors are two bedroom units. The third floor are three bedroom penthouse units that have interior stairs to a fourth floor master bedroom suite with a patio for the master bedroom above the main patio/balconies.

One of the penthouse units is listed for sale for a little over one million U.S. Dollars. That may raise some eyebrows for prices in a developing country, but Tamarindo is full of foreigners and the housing is marketed primarily to Americans and Canadians. And the prices compare very favorably to the price of condos right on the ocean in California or Hawaii. It is possible to buy condos in Tamarindo in a price range from less than $100,000 or more than $1 million, depending on location (particularly distance the beach) and amenities.

Our condo is on the second floor just beyond the pool. We like that location because the view of the ocean is better than the ground floor and we do not have the people hanging around the pool right next to our condo.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

The house next door

It is time to head back home. I hope you have found this little walk along Langosta beach of interest. Today's photo shows the house next door to our condo.

I took this photo from the beach, looking up at the house. This house has a commanding view of the beach and the ocean. The lot between this house and our condo is the last beachfront lot on Langosta Beach that does not have a house already built on it. I wonder when the woman who owns it will decide to build a house.

A comment about September 11: Today is the 10th anniversary of the horror of the 9/11 attack. Costa Rica has a 9/11 Memorial Park with a 9/11 monument on the outskirts of San Jose, where there will be a ceremony today. There were two Costa Ricans who worked in the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. One was on the way to work when the tragedy struck. The second was on the 11th floor, and she managed to escape before the buildings collapsed.

Costa Rica has many ties to the USA, of course. The reduction in travel in the aftermath of 9/11 hurt Costa Rica. In the last 15 years tourism in Costa Rica has increased every year except two, a very small drop off in 2006 and a reduction four times larger in 2002, right after 9/11. We still grieve for the losses suffered on 9/11 and lament the upheaval in the world in the decade that has followed. We should all hope, pray and actively work for peace throughout the world in whatever ways we can.

Costa Rica tries to do its part for peace by having abolished its military more than 60 years ago despite the fact that it is located in a troubled area of the world in which its neighbors have had major problems with violence, etc.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Close up of rocky shore

This is a closer view of the rocky shore that I showed yesterday. This is not sand. It is a giant rock that has ridges from where the waves have carved little valleys in the rock.

At this little portion of the beach, I usually walk higher up on the sand, as it is easier than walking across this uneven surface.

This week we are showing photos of our favorite villa at Lake Como, Italy, the Villa Balbianello, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful place.

Strange rocks along Langosta Beach

A little farther down the beach from the scene where I took the photo I posted yesterday is a spot on Langosta Beach were there is a strange rock formation on the shore rather than sand above the volcanic rocks under the water.

What looks like clumpy sand on the left of this photo is actually a large rock formation that has been eroded by the crashing waves. I will show a closer photo of it tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of our favorite villa at Lake Como, Italy, the Villa Balbianello, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful place.

Who is he talking to?

This is a closer look at the three people who were walking along the beach that I showed yesterday. As you can see, this guy is talking on a cell phone while walking next to a companion in a bikini and another young woman.

Here is my question: Who is on the other end of his cell phone that he would rather be talking to instead of talking to the two women who are right next to him?

Unless these two gals are his sisters, he is either being rude or he's nuts, unless maybe he is calling to make reservations to go out on the sunset sailing cruise or something like that.

This week we are showing photos of our favorite villa at Lake Como, Italy, the Villa Balbianello, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful place.

Three young people walking on the beach

Here is a photo of Langosta beach, with some young people walking along the beach. Although it looks like this stretch of beach is just sand, surf and trees, there are some beachfront mansions behind the trees along the beach, as I will show in the future.

This photo causes me to wonder about something, about which I will pose a question, . . . tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of our favorite villa at Lake Como, Italy, the Villa Balbianello, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful place.

A hammock in the shade

The trees along Langosta Beach also reveal some nice hammocks to enjoy a nap or read a book while listening to the surf. This hammock is unusual, as it is made of straw and hangs from a tree with walking roots. If the trees between which the hammock is hung "walk" in opposite directions, they might have to make an adjustment to the hammock.

We will continue our walk along the beach in the days ahead, but will have some more traditional beach photos.

This week we are showing photos of our favorite villa at Lake Como, Italy, the Villa Balbianello, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful place.

Jewelry for sale

This is a display of some of the jewelry for sale on the beach at the Barcelo Resort, which is on Langosta Beach about 50 yards or meters south of our condo. Local people make very colorful necklaces and bracelets and there are about three or four tables such as this to display the goods.

In the main part of Tamarindo, some people will walk along the beach to sell jewelry or pottery to tourists. Fortunately, the vendors are polite and are not aggressive, as some street vendors are in other parts of the world. A quick shake of the head or a wave off with a hand will cause them not to approach tourists who are not interested in buying things.

This week we are showing photos of our favorite villa at Lake Como, Italy, the Villa Balbianello, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful place.

Fan Palm

I like the vegetation along Langosta Beach, as there are trees and bushes along the sand so that you can barely see the beachfront houses as you look down the beach.

This photo shows what will become a fan palm tree, with dappled light on the sprouting leaves.

Tomorrow's photo will be a little unusual for a beach scene.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of our favorite Villa at Lake Como, the Villa Balbianello. You may have seen it in Casino Royale or another movie.

Girl playing with the waves

The girl in yesterday's photo got a little more bold in playing with the waves. I think every child who has played at the beach has chased the waves, and had the waves chase them.

Langosta Beach is a wonderful place to walk along or enjoy the beach without crowds, as you can see from this photo.

I will continue this series of my little walk along Langosta Beach during the days ahead.

This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the world's most elegant hotels, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Father and daughter on the beach

Several days ago I showed a family under a shade tree on the beach. The father got up to wade in the surf and a girl who appeared to be his daughter came to the water's edge, looking a little tentative.

The ocean has universal appeal, especially to children. I will show the girl a moment later, tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the world's most elegant hotels, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day: Perspective

Today's worldwide Daily Photo Theme is "Perspective." OK, I admit it. My photo today is a strange interpretation of that theme. This photo shows what I presume is an unusual perspective: having a view of the ocean while seated on a toilet.

This is a photo from the master bathroom in the penthouse unit in the Crystal Sands condo in Playa Langosta. The building is about half sold, and I visited the building in July, including a penthouse unit that has just been purchased, but the sale had not yet been closed.

The master bedroom suite is huge and occupies the top floor of the two-story condo. The bathroom has large windows to the full balcony, so that the owners will have a nice view of the ocean while in the shower and, if they leave the frosted glass door open, even while sitting on the toilet.

I will show more photos of the Crystal Sands condo building in the future.

This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the world's most elegant hotels, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other Daily photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of "Perspective," Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

A photographer's dilemma

On my little walk on the beach I noticed this woman sun bathing. I thought to myself, "Should I take a photo?" I did not want to intrude on her privacy, which was not a problem, as I have a 200mm zoom lens, and this photo does not even show the woman's identity.

But I don't normally take photos of women lying around in swim suits. After all, I am a happily married man. Then I saw this dog running around. I like to take photos of dogs playing in the surf. So I took some photos of the dog.

Then the dog got curious about the woman and decided to go check her out. That gave me the opportunity to get my photo. After all, when I got back to our condo and downloaded my photos, I showed Julie my series of photos of the dog and then, oops, in this photo this woman got in the way of my dog pictures.

Somewhere in this dog's training, I think someone skipped a lesson about manners and eye contact when greeting a woman. This scene lasted only for an instant, as the woman quickly noticed what I assume was heavy breathing on her . . . . well, you get the picture.

This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the world's most elegant hotels, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Fishermen yield to the sea

The ocean seems to be telling these fishermen, "It is time to go in, or at least time to fish from the beach." If they do not leave soon, even if they are out of the waves, they will have no way to get back to the beach without jumping into the surf and struggling back.

The two fishermen got the message, although one of them seems more nonchalant about the waves than the other. They left the rock at this point, as the rock at times has waves crashing over it and at high tide is covered by the ocean.

Tomorrow I will show one of my favorite photos from this series of photos from my little walk on the beach.

This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the world's most elegant hotels, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Cowering fishman

The waves look like they are getting a little too big for at least one of the fishermen. This would not be a good place to be swept into the ocean, as under the ocean are a lot of volcanic rocks at this spot.

The areas north and south of this stretch of beach have nice sandy bottoms, but there must have been a volcanic lava flow to the sea in this location thousands of years ago.

Do you think these fishermen will get the message that the sea seems to be giving them? The answer will be shown tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the world's most elegant hotels, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Surf fishermen

Several days ago I showed a photo of a lone fisherman and several readers commented about how nice the solitude of the scene was. Well, his solitude did not last for long.

A friend joined the fisherman on top of the large rock, but it began to look like the rock might not be large enough for the two of them, plus the waves. We'll see.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of the gardens of Villa d'Este, one of the world's most elegant hotels. It is located on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.

Pelicans in formation

As pleasant as it is to look up and down the beach and out to the ocean, at times on the beach one can fail to notice the sights overhead. Along Langosta Beach, we commonly see pelicans, often flying in formation like these birds did on the little beach walk that I am sharing with you this week.

This week we have photos of the magnificent architecture of Chicago on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Surfer girl

I don't think there is any need for commentary by me on this photo, other than to observe that a stroll on Langosta or Tamarindo beaches often includes encounters with surfers

This week we have photos of the magnificent architecture of Chicago on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Say Cheese

I was not the only one taking photos on my little walk on the beach. A man was taking a photo of a woman in a little white dress on one of the volcanic rocks along the shore. The Pacific Ocean with breaking waves and puffy clouds against the blue sky seems like a good background for a man to pose his wife or girlfriend.

This week we have photos of the magnificent architecture of Chicago on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Surf fishing

The large volcanic rock in the surf below our condo is a fine perch for surf fishing during low or mid tide, but as the tide rolls in, the rock becomes covered by waves.

Several readers commented yesterday about the solitude of this spot. There is a question, however, whether the waves will let him enjoy this solitude. It seems OK now, but let's check up on him again after taking a short walk on the beach, which I will share with you in my photos during the coming days.

This week we have photos of the magnificent architecture of Chicago on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

A solitary fisherman

This is a photo of the same guy on the beach that I showed from our condo balcony a few days ago. From the perspective of the beach he takes on a more solitary appearance against the horizon and the endless sea.

He is fishing in the surf, although I do not understand why he just tosses out a line with his hands rather than a fishing pole.

Whether his perch upon this rock is a safe place from which to fish is a subject of some future posts as I show more of a little walk on Langosta beach.

This week we have photos of the magnificent architecture of Chicago on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Family on the beach

A few days ago I showed a family under the shade of a tree on the beach in a photo taken from our condo balcony. Here is a photo of the same family taken from the beach.

This is one of those people-are-the-same-all-over-the-world photos. This family could be in Southern California, Florida, or virtually any beach, with children playing in the sand and adults enjoying a nap and snacks.

Several people have left comments today about the size of the family. I think this is an extended family, as there are two many children too close in age for all of them to be brothers and sisters. There appear to be two sets of parents.
This week we have photos of the magnificent architecture of Chicago on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Baby iguana

On the little path from the swimming pool gate of our condo to the beach we can often see little baby iguanas in the bushes. For some reason, I see baby iguanas here more often than adult ones. Maybe this is an area where the iguanas like to lay their eggs for some reason.

There are several easy ways to tell the difference between a baby iguana and a gecko. Iguanas have pointed toes and claws, whereas geckos have round pads on the tips of their toes. Geckos usually come out at night, where as iguanas are active during the day.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we have returned to Chicago to share more of the magnificent architecture of this city, plus a view of sunrise over Lake Michigan.

Condo corridor

As we take our little walk to the beach, the first part of our stroll is down the stairs from our condo to this little corridor from the staircase to the back yard by the swimming pool and out the back gate to the beach. The pool and the beach are just beyond the palm trees at the end of the corridor in this photo.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is a unique place, colorful, desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

A rocky perch

Looking from our condo balcony a little farther down the beach revealed a person sitting on a prominent volcanic rock that is exposed at low tide.

If I were normal, I probably would have stayed on our balcony and relaxed and enjoyed the view and the ocean breeze. But I am a Daily Photo blogger, so that caused me to decide to go down to the beach and check out the scene to see if there weree any possibilities to take some photos to post.

Would you like to join me on this little walk? You are invited to come back tomorrow and the several days that follow.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is a unique place, colorful, desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

Family on Langosta Beach

Yesterday I showed two dogs walking on the beach. A glance to the right from our condo balcony on this same recent Sunday morning showed a family enjoying the beach under the shade of one of the small trees.

Langosta is a quiet, residential area, so we do not get crowds of people on the beach. A family or a couple setting up a spot on the beach will likely not have another group of people on the beach anywhere close to them, and some one might walk past them every 5 minutes or so. This is refreshingly different than the crowded beaches in the USA. Julie and I find this delightful.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is a unique place, colorful, desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

Dogs trotting along the beach

From our condo we can look down on Langosta Beach. People like to walk their dogs along the beach. I zoomed my camera lens to see if these two dogs would cross the field of view in the opening between some trees, and they did.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is a unique place, colorful, desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

Crab walking up the wall

This is a crab walking right up the second story of the wall on the outside of our condo. I would much rather have a few crabs walking around than bugs, and fortunately we do not have bugs.

This week on our Viva la Voyagetravel photo site we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is a unique place, colorful, desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

Have a seat

After the road trip to Santa Cruz and Liberia to pick up Julie at the airport, let's relax and go back to the beach in the Playa Langosta area of Tamarindo.

Langosta is a residential area. Along the beach front there are some large houses, a few condos, such as ours, and a couple of bed & breakfast establishments. There are some trees along the beach that provide shady places to relax, such as this pleasant spot.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is a unique place, colorful, desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

Nuns waiting at the airport

While I was waiting for Julie to arrive at the airport, there were several nuns who were waiting also. They were standing along side all of the cab drivers holding signs to meet arriving passengers. They met a young woman.

There is a large, modern airport terminal under construction next to the current terminal. By the end of this year, people will be waiting indoors, with air conditioning. And passengers will walk through jetways from the plane to the terminal, rather than walking down a portable staircase to the tarmac as they do today.

I took some photos of the new terminal from the window of the airplane during my last flight out of Costa Rica. I will post them in the future. The photos are still in the camera. I have not downloaded them to my computer because Julie bought a new Macbook, which means that after she transfers all of her photos to the new computer, I will get her "hand-me-down" computer to replace the MacBookAir that I now use, which was also a "hand-me-down" from Julie. That is also how I got my last two cameras. You can tell the pecking order in our household.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are posting photos of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is unlike any place that we have been. Unique. Colorful. Desolate, yet with pockets of plant and animal life.

Need a ride?

When tourists emerge from the arrival hall at the Liberia Airport, they are confronted with a crowd of drivers waiting to see if they need a ride. In many cases the drivers will hold signs for people who have made reservations.

This fellow is typical of the tourists arriving in Costa Rica. He looks a little bewildered as he surveys the scene and figures out what to do or where to go.

I always make a reservation for a rental car in advance, and the car rental company will always have a driver with a sign with my name when I arrive. Most people who rent our condos do not rent a car, and my property management company has two drivers who will meet their flights with a sign with their name and bring them to the condos.

As you can see in this photo, the drivers are respectful and stay behind the fence.

We are showing photos of Bellagio, Italy, and Lake Como this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Come see the location that inspired a Vegas casino.

Liberia International Airport

This is the outside of the terminal at the Daniel Obuder International Airport in Liberia, the largest city in northwest Costa Rica. About 10 or so years ago they started to route international flights to this airport, which is what spawned the tourist and development boom along the northwest Pacific area of Costa Rica.

With international flights to Liberia, Tamarindo and other beach towns are just one hour from the airport, in contrast to 4 - 5 hour from San Jose. About one-third of foreign visitors to Costa Rica now fly directly to Liberia, bypassing the capitol and central valley area of San Jose. We are excited that flights from Europe are now coming into Liberia, making it more convenient for European visitors to come to our area.

A new terminal is now under construction. In the future, the airport facilities will be much larger and more modern. The local tourist industry expects that the new airport will lead to more flights coming to the area. In fact, just last week Delta Airlines just announced that beginning in January they will add a non-stop flight each Saturday from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Liberia. That should be popular for people wanting to escape the cold and enjoy the sun and the beach.

We are showing photos of Bellagio, Italy, and Lake Como this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Come see the location that inspired a Vegas casino.

Lamp post

A few days ago I showed aphoto of the clock at the top fo the old bell tower in front fo the new church in Santa Cruz. This lamp is near the base of the bell tower. The bell tower sits in what is now the lawn of the new church, so no one needs to walk along the sidewalk that surrounds the bell tower, but it is a charming scene.

This is the final installment in my series of photos from Santa Cruz. I took a little detour to take some photos of the town on my way to pick up Julie at the airport, so I will next show a few scenes to give you an idea what it is like to arrive at the airport in Liberia, which serve the northwest area of Costa Rica.

We are showing photos of Bellagio, Italy, and Lake Como this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Come see the location that inspired a Vegas casino.

Church shoes

This photo is a first for me. In several years of doing this blog, I do not think that I have ever before posted a photo of shoes or any other fashion accessory.

When I was standing at the entrance to the church, I happened to notice the shoes in today's photo and stepped back, zoomed in, and snapped. Evidently the high heel fashion craze has now even penetrated small, rural Costa Rican towns, at least on this particular Saturday night.

Jilly of Monte Carlo Daily Photo is particularly skilled at these types of photos.

During the first week of August each year, many Costa Ricans make a pilgrimage to the Basilica de Nuestra Senora Los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels) in Cartago, which I have shown in the past. Many of the faithful walked a long distance. The police set aside one lane of the road from San Jose for the crowds walking to Cartago. The newspaper reported that this year more than 2 million people visited the Basilica during the week. And this is in a country with a population of only about 5 million people! I hope that none of the people walking to the Basilica in Cartago were wearing shoes like the woman wore to church shown above.

We are showing photos of Bellagio, Italy, and Lake Como this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Come see the location that inspired a Vegas casino.

Church interior

One of the things I enjoy about photography is searching for the location and angle to portray a subject with a combination of interesting foreground and background.

For this photo, I crouched down on my knees to get a shot of the religious figure near the altar from an angle to capture a stained glass window under the eaves of the church in the background. It was impossible to have depth of field large enough for both the foreground and background to be in focus, of course, especially in the low indoor light.

We are showing photos of Bellagio, Italy, and Lake Como this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Come see the location that inspired a Vegas casino.

Quiet reflection in church

During the intermission between the speaker and the band in the church, this woman approached the figure to the right of the altar and stood there for several minutes of quiet contemplation. She reached up and touched the figures robe very gently several times.

The area behind the altar is in the background of the photo is another non-traditional aspect of the design of this Catholic church. The crucifix is not on the altar. It was in a large glass case on the floor to the left of the altar. I cold not get a photo of it because there was too much reflection of light from every angle.

Behind the altar is a model of the old church bell tower, which I showed in a photo a few days ago.

Tomorrow I will show my favorite photo from inside the church.

We are showing photos of Bellagio, Italy, and Lake Como this week on Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Come see the scene that inspired a Vegas casino.

Church music

After the speaker finished at the church, a band was next on the Saturday evening program. I had to leave to pick up Julie at the airport, so I did not have a chance to hear the band. Judging from the drum set, the music was probably going to be as high energy as the speaker.

The atmosphere in the church that Saturday evening had more of the feel of a revival meeting than a Catholic Mass.

The intermission between the speaker and the music gave me a chance to take a few more photos of scenes and people in the church, which I will show as I continue this series for a few more days.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we return to Bellagio, Italy, including several photos that show its dramatic location and views of Lake Como.

Church audience

Yesterday I showed the speaker at the church in Santa Cruz. Today's photo shows the audience. They appeared very attentive at the high energy address. This was not a mass, but a meeting, so I felt it was OK to take a photo. No one seemed to mind.

I am usually disappointed in the architecture when I see a modern Catholic church rather than a traditional Spanish colonial design. This church does have some very pleasant design elements. I will show a few more photos of this scene in the days ahead.

This week we have photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on ourViva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing the interior of the Music Palace in Barcelona.

Inside the Santa Cruz Church

Inside the Santa Cruz church on the Saturday afternoon of my visit was what seemed to be similar to a revival meeting. It was not a mass. There was no priest. A lay person from San Jose was conducting the meeting to a packed audience.

Here you see some young girls sitting on the floor and playing with each other, sharing the aisle with a woman in a wheel chair, while the leader speaks from the podium.

I will show some more scenes from the inside of the church during the coming days.

This week we have photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing the interior of the Music Palace in Barcelona.

Santa Cruz Church

This is the modern church on the square in Santa Cruz. It is certainly not a traditional design for a Catholic Church. Tomorrow I will show you what was going on inside the church late in the Saturday afternoon when I visited about one month ago.

This week we have photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing the interior of the Music Palace in Barcelona.

Old Santa Cruz Church Bell Tower

This is clock at the top of the bell tower that is all that remains of an earlier church that was situated across the street from the town square and park that I have shown in the past few days. The clock face looks new. In the coming days, I will show you what was going on in the new church on this site on a recent late Saturday afternoon.

Santa Cruz means holy cross in Spanish. Santa Cruz is the second largest town in Guanacaste province, which is the northwest region of Costa Rica. The town is known for is folklore traditions and its rodeos and festivals.

This week we have photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on ourViva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing the interior of the Music Palace in Barcelona.

Statue honoring everyday women

The park that covers the main square of Santa Cruz has a statue on each corner. Each has a very different theme, and I will show the others in the future. This statue is entitled "To the rural women." The plaque, shown below, reads "In honor of the rural women, whose effort and commitment everyday preserves the traditions and culture of our people."

I think it is a good that the statue commemorates common people who are the backbone of society but who are often ignored in the commemoration of military heros or other dignitaries. Costa Rica is the only country in Latin America without a liberator to honor. Costa Rica never had a struggle for independence. When Nicaragua obtained its independence, Spain simply gave up ruling over Costa Rica as well. It did not have gold or silver, so it was of little importance to Spain.

This week we have photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing the interior of the Music Palace in Barcelona. If you have not been there, you are in for a treat.

Theme Day: Postcard Worthy

The worldwide Daily Photo theme for the first day of August is "Postcard Worthy." My choice was easy because Tamarindo is a beach town.

What could be more classic for a postcard than the beach with the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean, with a palm tree framing the photo and a sail boat silhouetted against the horizon?

I took this photo from the beachfront restaurant at the Tamarindo Diria Resort, where one of our two condos is located. It is a popular spot for dining while watching the sun set and the last moments of light on the beach.

This week we have photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing the interior of the Music Palace in Barcelona.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of postcard worthy, Click here to view thumbnails for all participants