Patagonia Camp lived up to our expectations – we chose different activities over the last 4 days – some of us took a boat ride to the Grey Glacier, some of us took short hikes and a couple of us trekked all day almost up to the peak of the French Valley…… Here’s a few more pix.
Trekking around the Torres National Park with New View Tours Patagonia 2019! El Groupo esta mui fuente y felice! The views unfold all day! We see the glacial formation of a condor spreading its wings across the Grand Torres Mountain; the cavern between Los Cuernos change with new shadows throughout the morning….rainbows in the spray of the waterfall and yes, a condor perched on a rock waiting for a gust of wind. But not today. In fact this beautiful weather is a mixed blessing. Without the persistent winds that normally cool the region, we feel impressive heat!
Torres del Paine from Patagonia Camp – sunset about 10 pm!
We stay at Patagonia Camp known for its Mongolian style yurts. Glamping at its finest. Our tours start each morning from here – designed for the activity level of each one of us.
Here are a couple of pix from Ecuador on our last day – we made a B-Line out of the city for a day trip to another cloud forest – Mindo! An emerald jungle! It poured rain, but cleared by the time we drove back. Hummingbirds are thriving here! See the green toucanet? He looks just like the bamboo tree he is sitting in!
Butterfly farm Mindo Cloud Forest
Here is the tucanette – green in profile – see him? — at Casa Divina Lodge.
Mindo to Quito – driving back through the ecosystems!
A very special place in the world.
Here is a typical mountain path view in San Pablo del Lago – this is the Rinconada Trail above Hacienda Cusin where we visit again! (So many years now!) We explore new shops in the center plaza of Otavalo, watch the weather, walk pathways, and check in with old friends who introduce us every year to new ones!
Photo by Karen Powell of Sante Fe, New Mexico here at a house in Cusin for 2 weeks.
Church in Otavalo from the rooftop lounge of the newly renovated Hotel Otavalo.
Happy New Year!
Friends and Travelers!
Wishing each of you peace and well being through 2019!
Now in the short days of the winter season, we look back on the travels of 2018 – and plan for future trips!
2018 offered us so many pictures and memories. We took four groups of friendly travelers – several of whom are family; each of whom became a part of a traveling family for just a few days.
In January, we explored Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; in March we traveled south from Lima Peru to Arequipa and the spectacular Colca Canyon, then to LaPaz Bolivia vía Lake Titikaka wrapping up the tour at the citadel of Machu Picchu.
The Colca Canyon – Peru – a day’s drive from Arequipa
In the Fall, it was our fourth tour to the Dordogne Valley along the Vezere river, France. The caves were particularly mysterious – challenging imagination and intellect!
In October, a new group dared to take a New New View of northern Spain – from Bilbao to Gijon then on to a parador in Santiago de Compostela.
The group shuffled participants and continued on through the south of Spain – Corduba, Grenada, Ronda to Seville!
It was a rolling exploration of beautiful countryside, exceptional architecture with large tasty meals. We heard stories of Jewish, Moorish and Christian cultures, walked through extensive gardens and palaces ending in the museums of Madrid!
New View Tours – Michael and Ramelle – are pleased that you have each been such great travelers; nimble and quick to understand new and different circumstances, open to opportunity and able to maintain a shared sense of humor. Thank you for joining us!
Looking out to 2019 – we can only imagine what will happen in the US of A, let along the entire world. But New View is in full force planning what WE will do! Our tour to the High Andes of Ecuador heads out in early January.
The Patagonia Tour is lined up for the first two weeks of February. These trips are filled now. We are quietly honing the details with our hosts on the equator and below!
May 2019 will be a new New View Tour to the Czech Republic. We travel from Prague to Vienna. Details are falling into place for a visit to the “crossroads of Europe” where we find 13 UNESCO sites to choose from. Inspired by classmate/friend Peter Heimann, a resident of Vienna, we will track the origins of the Moravian peoples; explore the castles of the medieval times, taste the food and see the multiple cultures through history in this pastoral countryside.
Fall 2019 the travels to Europe continue with revised and renewed itineraries: France in late September to include the Chauvet cave. We meet up in Toulouse and end in Bordeaux! This trip will be in its fifth year – with appreciation for the help from Nancy Dawson and inspiration from Trena McNabb who provided us with their insights and interests in this pastoral region of Southwest France.
October 2019 Spain – a new view! will start in Madrid continue by high speed train to Seville to see gardens with Sally Duque, our American friend; then on to Ronda where we only had a taste of the rich history here – it was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemenway! Then we discover Malaga on the Mediterranean coast. Our visit will include a stop with our hospitable Berkshire summer friends, the Mulvilhills who winter in the Escorial, another prince’s palace outside of the capital city!
Thank You All
for your encouragement, and your many positive messages that invite us to
continue to design tours and
Enjoy them with you!
Happy New Year 2019!
Ramelle and Michael
Still posting from the October trip! Here are a few pix of the Alcazar in Seville Spain. Have you been? It is a stunning royal palace built on the site of a Muslim fortress. Plan for a day here! And be sure to pre-order tickets – tourists are thankfully controlled – but there were plenty of us there!
The legacy of the Moors is here – perfectly proportional rooms arranged around a water source/fountain, geometrical designs including calligraphy with repetitive message from the Koran line the walls and ceilings – and floors! Rebuilt by a Christian king, added crests and crosses and their own features. The gardens remain in symmetrical patterns – so extensive that several acres are maintained by the city of Seville. The farther inside the compound, the more sophisticated the designs so their wealth not displayed publicly – thus huge bare exterior walls!
The relatively simple exterior of the Alcazar.
Gardens inside the fortification leading to the dwelling area.
Ceiling patterns of this domed room represent half the world! we are looking up to the perfectly proportioned sky – from the platform of the flat earth!
The horseshoe arch was the Moorish way of building. The patterned walls are squares of plaster – painted blue in sections.
Looking up at the bedroom of the king’s daughter – who was of course a princess!
baths built into the lower level of the Alcazar – fed by fresh spring water.
Here are the exterior gardens….
View to the bell tower built during moorish – under renovation.
From Margot Cifuentes
Because we are united for the love of neighbor… Merry Christmas, may God bless his noble and generous heart to all who are a fundamental part in the development of our children.
New View suggests at least 5 days to the pastoral Vezere & Dordogne Valleys to explore the amazing pre-historic caves painted, carved and scratched with images thousands of years ago. Start in Bordeaux with a visit to the exceptional French Archeological Museum of Pre-History. Then experience real caves to see the spectacular drawings, sculptural carvings drawn in and about the limestone rooms. Some are filled with art, others are harder to decipher tucked in corners, scratched behind stalactites. The pictures, etchings and relief sculptures, dated by radio carbon analysis dating suggests enormous time spans between the caves; Laxcaux 19,000 and Roufignac 38,000 years ago – in the same valley! The caves are seasonal. The new contemporary museum Lascaux lV hosts a perfect reproduction of that cave with exceptional galleries. The real caves: Font-de-Gaume; Rouffignac, Les Combrelles and Cougnac close in the winter months.
Coming up for air, explore one or more of the castles on the Dordogne River including Beynac and Castlenaud constructed by an English and another by a French king.
Gardens abound. Choose the spring or fall months to avoid crowds on the shoulder seasons.
All year, the story of local cuisine is world renowned: oysters, foi gras, walnuts, prunes and fine local wines pair with duck, pumpkin, a fresh salad or special dessert! Try it all!
The tour begins and ends in Bordeaux – 5 nights.
We suggest spending an extra day early to acclimate to the European time zone.
In Les Eyzies consider the Cro-Magnon Hotel.
Cave visits must be reserved in advance. Some have limited number at one time. Let us purchase your tickets for you in advance.
An experienced English speaking guide is available to accompany your group.
Activity level – Moderate. Travelers will enjoy the trip if they are able to walk comfortably and transport their own roll-along suitcase.
Trip limited to 8 travelers in a group (van).
Learn why D0rgd0gne was named among the best places in Europe!
10 Days in Ecuador – At your convenience if you design your own tour
5 Days – Add-on tour to Cuenca
Refresh and Renew in the High Sierra mountains on the equator. We suggest
three destinations over ten days that offer beautiful decor, excellent service, delicious food from local gardens and magnificent scenery in the most bio diverse country in the world. Start at restored http://Haciendacusin.com gardens in abundance in this complex of a 1602 hacienda surrounded by small houses converted to guest rooms.
Villages and mountain retreats abound in the landscape of volcanic peaks surrounding Otavalo; visit the unstoppable renowned markets; choose as much hiking as you like through spectacular landscapes. Dine-in at the hacienda or explore local restaurants featuring fine Andean cuisine. We schedule horse back riding on the property, or try a bike ride. Lago Cuicocha or guinnea pig lake features unique islands that look like floating guinea pigs in the middle of deep green/blue waters still bubbling from sulphur rising; enjoy the drive to the raptor preserve to see recovering birds of prey, some are trained to make free flights off the property over the Peguche valley. It is an amazing demonstration of eagles, hawks, owls; there are condors to visit. The attractive town of Cotacachi is a center for family leather shops, and good restaurants now that it has become a center for retired Americans. In Peguche, be sure to visit the weaver’s studio to find the work by craftsmen maintaining the traditional back strap loom weaving process.
In the 19th Century, German scientist and explorer, Alexander Humboldt spent 4 years in South America measuring temperatures, collecting botanical samples and recording in massive detail the diversity of species here. As an early scientist, he noted the impact of the colonialists on the environment, he mapped the temperature at various altitudes. Because he was right here, on the equator, he was able to prove that cold rises!
We have copies of Nan Magazine, Issue 34, that we will gladly send out if you are interested in a new look at the routes and discoveries of Humboldt in this his 250th anniversary.
Garden at Las Palmeras Inn
Otavalo Market
Then transfer to the west of the Cotacachi volcanic mountain to stay at El Refugio de Intag, a naturalist paradise for bird watching and hiking. Visit a coffee plantation, enjoy hot springs, and explore this unique environment – the cloud forest of Intag. It is a contrast to transition to the bustle of the city of Quito, a World Heritage city since 1978 featuring monuments, museums, stunning churches and cultural energy in a thriving metropolis. We suggest you retreat from the city’s bustle to the homelike setting of Casa Aliso, a hotel in a restored home in the finer contemporary section of the city.
Dinner at El Refugio with owner, Peter Joost
Rooftop View of Otavalo
Quito – La Compania is a Jesuit church started in the 16th century
Three worlds in ten days!
Choose to join our group experience where we provide plenty of activities and also time for personal exploration. Mornings will have time for yoga on most days. Practice with Michael Pulitzer – a gentle Kripalu style class for all abilities.
Estimated Land Cost: $2040 per person, double occupancy – 10 days.
We suggest a tour to the Galapagos Islands for 4 nights or 7 nights. More info? just ask!
Ramelle@newviewtours.com
View of Cuicocha (guinea pig) Lake from the trail
Above: Cuicocha Lake overlooking the guinea pig islands.
Below: Experienced bi-lingual guide, Christian introduces back strap weaving at the workshop home of Luz Maria and her father, Miguel. They are preparing the wool for carding before spinning before dying and before the weaving.
Luz Maria and her father, Miguel Andrango in their garden – April 2018.
The Alhambra in Grenada is a fortress 2 kms long. Only the hearty tourist ventures here – 8,000 per day! These photos were quick shots indeed when I could find an open corner of a room. I’ll add notes to these pix soon.
Moorish walls are made of brick – the stone in the foreground would be added later.
The low walls were where housing was originally. This was an entire community on a plateau built to defend the area.
Horse shoe arches and brick walls – plain on the outside – do not show off your gold and silver (but just wait until you see the patterns inside!)
The details are done in plaster and follow repetitive geometric patterns so the restoration can be reproduced with a good understanding of what was original.
Close up – the favorite letters say God is great – there are only 35 sayings repeated multiple times in the entire castle.
Tiles in patterns of squares and pentagons
Hil and Phil!
The travel group south of Spain!
Gardens! very little blooms this time of year!
Grenada means pomegranate! a luscious fruit and symbolic of the richness of this region.
Tourist collapse pose!
Patterns on walls, halls, ceilings and yes all the paths are in patterns – circles connecting to circles that make triangles and pentagons.
Fountains are fed by a sophisticated irrigation system. In the 10th century there were pools for bathing in every small house. The water comes from the mountains and is still very clean.
Peter Levin finds a great view of the Alhambra!
Streets are deliberately narrow to catch the bad guys who might dare to invade!
Grenada was in full celebration mode while we were there; Oct 12 is Christopher Columbus Day, then Saturday continued with more bands and parades. Our hotel was basically in the heart of all of it. People were celebrating until 6 in the morning! The 7 am church bells rang; the streets emptied! We left without traffic at 9 am!
Arrived by high speed train from Seville to Madrid! A wonderful day visiting Puente del Sol, the Royal Palace, Thysseen and Prado Museums! A terrific and varied exposure to this wonderful city!
Finished a lovely evening Marina, Stephen, Sally, and William, bringing Yale Hill together in their home outside Madrid with other Berkshire friends and travelers Hilary and Phil, and Beth and Peter and their daughter Courtney and DL. Hats off to Marina and Stephen for their great hospitality as we adios to Spain Hasta luego
Nights are cool, days are dry and very hot in the sun. Cordoba is home to the amazing mosque cathedral dubbed the Mosquito Church! Narrow streets created in the Jewish quarter have hanging baskets of flowers! Mix of cultures coexisted in relative peace for 600 years…..Peter Levin finds his hero, a renowned Jewish writer and rabbi.
Here are a few pix from San Sebastian or Donostia with its extensive beach, classic old city right on the waterfront. We visited the aquarium here (Michael took those pix!) and had a beautiful lunch!
Bilbao is a small city with strong personality – When we weren’t absorbing the fabulous Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry, 1997, we walked about the old city. The museum changed the local scene from a struggling economy to an art and culture destination. The food and hospitality are just terrific. Again, with a terrific group of resilient travelers, we took in this place “on our own” amazed by the contrasts!
Installation throughout the entire structure, created by a Portuguese woman artist, this monstrous project weaves like a vine, no it’s roots, no it’s a flower, no ….well yes it is amazing textile of quilted fabric by Joana Velasquez who also has a retrospective collection in a pod of galleries on the ground floor. Impressive!
Installation entitled Egeria (after a woman traveler from the 1st Century) drapes throughout the entire building structure. Created by a Portuguese artist, this monstrous project weaves like a vine, no it’s roots, no it’s a flower, no ….well yes it is amazing textile of quilted fabric by Joana Vasconcelos who also has a retrospective collection in a pod of galleries on the ground floor. Impressive!
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