Triglav

Last Saturday I decided on a whim to climb Triglav, Slovenian highest mountain. Having explored quite a few hiking trails as well as ferratas in the Slovenian Alps, I've wanted to try the Plemenice route for a long, long time but never really got round to doing it. I called my brother to ask him to come with me, prepared my backpack and set the alarm clock for 2.30 a.m. And off we went! Our climb started at 5 a.m. in the Vrata valley and took us to Luknja and across Plemenice to the top. We descended to Kredarica and then chose the Prag route back to Vrata where we sat down for some beer at 7 p.m. Oh wow, what an exhilarating day! My knees hurt as hell, but my soul was in heaven.

Just one photo for now, more about the climb, including pictures, after August 10 when I get back from a photo tour around the Balkans! :)

Fuerteventura 8: Desert, Backroads, Los Molinos

On Day 6, we drove around the northern and central parts of the island. In the warm afternoon light, after a short hike in the desert, we explored the backroads through some relatively desolate valleys and ended up on the coast again, at Los Molinos.
















More photos here.

To be continued ...

Sunset on Kamniski vrh

Kamniški vrh used to be one of my favorite "training" hills. Whenever I had a couple of hours and wanted some exercise, I climbed it. Then it fell into oblivion for a while, I'm not even sure why. This year I'm starting to rediscover why I liked it so much. It's high enough to feel the mountain air, the trail is interesting and steep in places so it offers plenty of challenge. Oh, and the view from the top! Fantastic! :)








I also took a few photos for our photo club's annual exhibition, which is dedicated to stitched panoramas this year. Let me know what you think.

Another quick climb to Velika planina

Velika planina has always been one of my favorite places in the nearby mountains. The scenery is spectacular and I love seeing it in different seasons, weather and light. So after a hard day's work we decided to treat ourselves to some more soured milk. We jumped into the car at 6 p.m. and drove quickly to the starting point of the hike. This time it didn't rain; instead, a glorious sunset made for a memorable end of the day.

We weren't sure what the weather would be like when we emerged from the forest to Mala planina.

But the view after reaching the edge and looking west assured us there would be plenty to feast our eyes on.

Kamnik! I can see my house from here! :)

The light was really sweet.

Barbed wire and flowers.

I looked back one last time before entering the village of Velika planina and saw this.

The fog had already rolled in from the other side and was quickly enveloping the cottages. Combined with the sunset the magnificent sight only lasted for about a minute.

Orange fog.

I had to take photos quickly because the whole spectacle was over before I could change a lens.

We had some delicious soured milk with cottage cheese while it was getting darker and foggier.

The photo session wasn't quite over. Now the light turned bluish ...

... and the fog kept rolling in.

You can't really tell from this photo but it was pretty dark already and because of the fog it would be quite easy to get lost.

The visibility was poor but I had to stop and take a picture of this cottage.

And then we plunged into the forest. We'll be back soon!

Fuerteventura 7: Desolate South, Playa de Cofete

The southernmost tip of Fuerteventura is wonderfully scenic - if you like rock and sand. :) The place is deserted for the most part south of Morro Jable with only a handful of houses here and there. The drive on a dirt road across the south peninsula was, well, dusty, but also unimaginably exhilarating. The stark landscape combined with strong winds that literally sweep you off your feet the second you get out of the car makes for an unforgettable experience.

On the 16 kilometers of dirt road to the south:

The tip of the island with a lighthouse and the village of Puerto de la Cruz in the middle.

Puerto de la Cruz with a huge wind turbine.

We drove to another lighthouse in the vicinity which offers great views of the west coast and the infamous Playa de Cofete.

The west coast is one of the most desolate places on the island.

You want a closer look? ;) This is Cofete, which we later visited by crossing a mountain pass. There is no road along the coast as the terrain is too rugged.

We backtracked a bit and made a left turn to a mountain pass from which the road descends to Cofete. This is the first lookout point with the view of the whole stretch of the beach. Have I told you yet that I almost got blown away by the wind? ;)

I was mesmerized by the panorama.

The winding road going down to Cofete.

The village of Cofete.

Villa Winter on the slopes of the mountain ridge.

The beach was windy and almost abandoned, there were only a few people sunbathing and braving the waves.


I don't know exactly what she was trying to do, but I think her boyfriend was struggling with the waves, camera in hand. :)

It was peaceful, only the wind was howling and the seagulls were screeching.

To be continued ...