Summer on the Moor

Iška Moor nature reserve, a specially protected part of Ljubljana Marshes landscape park, is one of the last remnants of vast moors that once covered the entire southern part of Ljubljana Basin. Different colours of vegetation in Iška Moor nature reserve. It is a unique ecosystem, one of the finest still extant example of damp … Read more

Mystery Lake in the Height of Summer

Yes, the intermittent Lake Cerknica with its regular cycles of drying out and filling up is a very attractive place, always showing a different face to an aspring photographer. We went there in spring, when the waters just started to recede, and then again in early summer, when the former bottom of the lake was … Read more

Only Kites and Horses

The village of Velike Bloke lies in the middle of a vast karst plateau Bloke, a remote and wild place in the heart of Slovenia. Lying above 700 m ASL Bloke plateau remains wild and untamed. There is almost no place for agriculture, and deep forests are home to huge beasts, inclunding brown bears, wolves … Read more

Unica River Revisited

So, in late February we visited Planina karst field and river Unica running through it – and we saw something strange in the bed of the river. Could this be something, we were asking ourselves, maybe an ancient boat? What is that? Luckily, we weren’t asking just ourselves, but some professionals too. They were interested, … Read more

A Rogue Kite and a Cool Discovery

(***UPDATE Aug 3*** – after the experts of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts looked into all this, there are some preliminary conclusions: the rings are (almost surely) mushroom-made fairy rings, and the pottery shards are Roman! Read more here.) Well, then … When we were forced to leave the … Read more

A Castle and a Storm

These are the ruins of the castle of Kalec (also Steinberg, Štemberk), near Zagorje in Upper Pivka valley, Slovenia. Built by the Stemberg family in 1622, it had two wings and a central round tower – the only thing that still stands. Castle Kalec – ‘Steinperg’, Štemberg – in all its former glory. A litograph … Read more

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

In the late 19th century a physician dr. Karel Bleiweis argued for a specialized psychiatric hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia. A ‘Narrenhaus‘, a ‘lunatic asylum’. As the general attitude to the ‘crazies’ and ‘lunatics’ improved, and with emerging push for the more humane and institutionalized psychiatric care, the efforts of dr. Bleiweis payed off: an ex … Read more

Fužine district, Ljubljana

New Fužine district in Ljubljana were constructed from 1977 to 1988 and remain the largest housing project in Slovenia, sprawling on 61 hectares, a home for almost 20.000 people. New Fužine are the most densely populated area in Slovenia, with over 38.500 inhabitants per square kilometre. View across the apartment blocks towards the Ljubljana centre. … Read more

Surf!

The Praia do amado – Lovers beach – south of Lisbon and west of Faro, Portugal, is a surfers paradise. The long sandy beach faces due west, into the Atlatic winds. While the beach is family friendly, there are some strange surfers rituals going on. Kite aerial photos, shot with Nikon 1 J1 on a … Read more