Imagine: a shallow, marshy lake; a clear stream flowing into it; a village: a flock of wooden houses, covered with dried grass, standing on hundreds of stilts, driven deep into the marshy soil on the bank of a stream. There are small gardens just behind the houses on the more solid ground; goats, sheep, and … Read more

Polje is a cool word in English language. It is borrowed from Slovene – where it means ‘a field’ – and is a terminus technicus for a ‘karst field’, a large flat-bottomed depression in a limestone area. Planina polje is a classic example of this geological formation. A 5 km by 2.5 km flat depression … Read more

Les sanglots longs Des violons De l’automne Blessent mon coeur D’une langueur Monotone. It was a great day: a sunny, windy, colourful, warm late October day, perfect for flying kites … yet the feel of this poem – Chanson d’automne by Paul Verlaine – seemed to permeate the air. Autumn is here, the winter is … Read more

(This article is derived from a European Researchers’ Night 2021 lecture. Theoretical parts and fundamental research by Maša Mramor, Gimnazija Vič; kite flying, kite aerial photography, and photo processing by KAP Jasa kite society.) As we have said many times before, kites are spectacular, affordable and versatile aerial science platforms. A large Rokkaku can easily … Read more

Novi Vinodolski is a town on the Adriatic coast in Croatia, at the end of the valley of the vineyards (Vinodol in Croatian) that stretches from Bakarac to the sea, below the mountains of Gorski Kotar. It is a prime tourist place, with a mild climate, clean sea, and pleasant setting. A vacation spot for … Read more

Škocjan – named after Saint Cantianius to whom the village church is dedicated to – is one of the most unique villages in the world. This picturesque little place is perched precariously on a natural bridge between the river Reka canyon and a huge abyss of Little Dolina. On both sides the cliffs fall almost … Read more

Lake Cerknica in Slovenia is a true natural wonder, mentioned by Strabo in his Geographica, studied by Valvasor (who became a member of the Royal Society because of his exposé on the lake), and cherished by generations of people who live on its banks. Because of the limestone karst on its northwestern edge it is … Read more

The hot summer winds weren’t cooperating since the beginning of July; whenever the temperature in Slovenia goes above 30 degrees, the breeze fades away and there is no chance for a good kite aerial photography session. So we were excited when the air masses started to move again – that made the IKF Vrhnika 2021 … Read more