First snow in Kamnik

After having a very warm October and hardly any fall colors, it snowed at the end of the month. While I love snow, I wasn't too thrilled about not having any autumn! :) But, to capture the unusual sight of green trees covered with snow I hiked the nearby Špica hill one afternoon to get some views of Kamnik. The views were foggy and the trail was slippery, and what I came away with were some cool pics and a bruised rib from a sudden fall when returning.

The road was ... interesting, to say the least!


Fog enveloped the hill I was headed to.


Lots of broken branches due to heavy wet snow.


The trail was extremely muddy and slippery.


Fall colors? :)


The fog descended upon Kamnik and the sun only peeked through occasionally for a few seconds.


On the way down I was passed by a jogger.


Just as I reached the road again, the sun reappeared in this spectacular display of red glow.


The rib still hurts more than a week later.

Glencoe, Scotland

Scotland is on the itinerary of every self-respecting traveler. :) I was there many years ago, in the summer, and this March I was lucky enough to revisit, partly for work, partly for pleasure. While early spring is a nice time to travel as there aren't many tourists around, it can also get a bit tricky to find accommodation in some remote parts as B&Bs are simply not open!

I'll start with Glencoe - a wonderful glen in the Scottish Highlands.

Every photographer wants to take a shot from this place with Buachaille Etive Mor and the Etive river in the foreground:


A house in Glencoe:


A lake with reeds:


Green (well, not really green yet as it was only March) mountains:


My little Audi was a lot of fun to drive:


In the valley of Glen Etive I hardly met any other people:


After waiting for the sunset for over an hour my Scottish friend and coworker Alastair and I were rewarded with this view over Rannoch Moor:


To be continued...

Velika planina and crocuses

The spring has come, but there is still snow high in the mountains. The white Kamnik Alps provided a beautiful backdrop when hiking on the purple carpet of crocuses on Velika planina.








































Is it obvious why I love returning to this place so much? :)

Rollerblading around Zalog and Cerklje

My first rollerblading trip took me from Zalog through the villages along the peaceful country roads below Mt. Krvavec to Cerklje and back to a nearby pond. The weather was great: sunny and warm, and I only wished there were puffy white clouds in the sky to make it even more picturesque. :) All in all, good exercise combined with some cool photos made for a great Friday afternoon.



























I have to say this was a great beginning of the rollerblading season! :)

Mardi Gras in Cirkulane and Markovci

This year I finally made it to eastern Slovenia to see the local celebration of the carnival - or Mardi Gras. There were many masks, but the most impressive were "kurenti", masks with sheep skin, bells around the waist and a huge head covering:

Amsterdam in January

I spent four days in Amsterdam this January. The trip was for work and I caught a bad cold there, but I managed to take a few quick pics. It's a great place and I gotta go back soon.

Boat houses:


Near the Central Station:


Old Church reflection:


Typical Amsterdam:


Reflection:


Fresh mint tea:


Amsteram at sunset:


After sunset:


The canals are now frozen, I am told! :)








West Church during the blue hour:


More photos here.