Justadtind
Justadtind, The prominent mountain toward the left of both photos.
Kjerkefjord
Not long after I took this photo of the Kjerkefjord 3 days of storm enveloped the islands. Deceptively peaceful looking here.
Lofoten Islands – Stockfish
I think I’ve said it before, that the economy of the Lofoten islands runs off basically two things: German tourists in the summer and cod stockfish in the winter. During the winter months, Atlantic Cod migrate into the waters of the Vestfjord for spawning, where they have been met by Norwegian fishermen since the days of the Vikings. One would think that north of the arctic circle would not be the most hospitable place to be during this time of year, but the gulf stream keeps the Lofoten islands relatively mild temperature wise. Though an arctic gale is nothing to laugh at, having heard stories of winds so fierce that they have literally moved houses.
The Last German Spring
On my last Sunday in Germany we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take one last tour of the Franconian countryside. First stop was to Walberla and then we made our way to Hohenstein for one last Windbeutel.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
On Easter Sunday we took a lazy afternoon trip over to the historic city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It’s one of the cooler cities that I’ve been to here, and judging by the hordes of guidebook carrying tourists of all nationalities, I’m not alone in my thinking.
A cool old wall surrounds the town, which after climbing a flight of stairs, one can walk around on and enjoy a rooftop view across the city. Anywhere one looked, cool old towers were rising into the sky. Cobble stone streets and colorful old buildings finished up the mood.
Europa Park
Finally made a visit to Europa Park the other week. Sort of like Disneyland, but the park is themed after the countries of Europe; So there is a “France” region, a “Scandinavia,” an “Italy” and so forth. Got lucky with some nice spring weather; first time I’ve put on sunblock in a long time. Only took a few pictures as I spent most of my time standing in lines for ride. Good times.
A Day in the Cairngorms
Monday May 5th was our third full day in Scotland. The weather of the preceding two days was typically “Scottish,” so as the morning fog cleared cleared into a brilliant blue sky we headed straight into the Cairngorms to take advantage of such a day. Despite the amount of time I’ve previously spent in Scotland, I’ve never hiked in the Cairngorms before. I had planned on a 6 day through hike on my first trip, but a broken camera forced me back to Glasgow to get it repaired, and I never made it.
We didn’t have any particular plan, other than to avoid hiking near the hideous funicular railway that takes tourists and skiers near to the summit of Cairn Gorm. So off we headed on some trail or another. A stream crossings here, a muddy peat bog there, then we finally started gaining a bit of elevation along some gentle ridge. One things I love about the highlands is the ease of cross country travel. Sometimes you’ll get a bit more muddy than planned, worst I’ve managed was up to my waste in some bog in the Cuillins and then had to “bathe” in a creek before hitching back to Portree, but generally the rugged tundra like terrain means you can just choose a direction and go. So after we got a bit higher up, I pulled out the map to check things out. Hmm, looks like heading up to Cairn Lochan go be a good idea, so off we went…
Once we reached the summit plateau we took a short break for some chocolate and lunch, or is that lunch and some chocolate. Well, Sabine ate lunch while I was running around taking pictures. No time to worry about an empty stomach in such nice conditions.
Back on the way again. Below is the summit of Cairn Lochan with Loch Morlich below in the distance. At 1215 meters it’s nothing especially high, well, nothing in Scotland is especially high for that matter.
View of our way, keeping mostly along the ridge and making our way to Cairn Gorm, rising in the left of the photo.
View again towards Loch Morlich and the Town of Aviemore (‘adventure capital of Scotland’) off in the distance.
Starting to ascend the gentle slope of Cairn Gorm. This photo is looking back from where we had come. Cairn Lochan is the peak in he center of the photo. What a day and what a view!
Finally, the top of Cairn Gorm.
(all panos can be viewed larger by clicking on ’em)
Wettersteingebirge
Wetterstein group in winter from near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
9 vertical images at 200mm.
Burg Hohenstein
Warm winter light on a cold winter day at Hohenstein a few weeks back.
Seasons On Lofoten Winter eBook
Seasons On Lofoten Summer eBook
