It was a very early start: at 6.40 am it was bitterly cold and foggy, and the dawn was just breaking.
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The area where many plants used to be is mostly abandoned and decaying. This is an old chimney which is being pulled down before it crashes by itself.
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Narrow passageway leading between two plants.
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Unexpectedly, the fog was blown away just as the sun rose above the horizon.
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Towards the east, the sun was trying to beat the fog.
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Empty, abandoned storewares.
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Railtracks for freight trains.
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A magical moment at sunrise.
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Every way I looked, there was a magnificent sight in front of my eyes.
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An old factory in all its glory.
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Old scales and a sun-lit factory in the background.
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The sun was getting stronger, fortunately, as my fingers were already on the verge of frostbite.
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A detail from railtracks.
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There was frost on everything...
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... and even some frosty cobwebs.
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Into the sun.
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The same lonely alley.
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Then I headed to the railway station. Most of the station dates many decades back, and it shows.
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An attempt at B&W.
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A confusion of tracks, poles and wires.
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Rapid train... hehe, not really.
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The fir trees were covered in ice - just like everything else.
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One of the most interesting things I have ever seen - wind-shaped ice on railings.
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Ice thingie from up-close.
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Entry into the pedestrian underpass.
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In B&W.
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Looking up from the underpass.
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... and in B&W.
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The old waiting room.
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It looks better in B&W, I think.
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An old radio in the railway station pub.
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The radio in B&W.
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An entry into another underpass.
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Underpass for pedestrians and car traffic.
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Having fun with long exposures.
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Having fun with long exposures.
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Having fun with long exposures.
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Having fun with long exposures. Can you still tell this is a car? :)
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An old railroad yard.
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"No smoking"
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An old storehouse barely standing.
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No door.
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A rusty pipe.
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A rusty nut.
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Practice
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Two policemen with horses.
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This is another part of Jesenice with abandoned factories.
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Big, empty halls.
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In B&W.
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"Protect our common property from fire"
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Old and rusty barrels covered in leaves.
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Another big hall that is apparently still in use as there were some cars parked there.
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A gear wheel up close.
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A beer bottle covered in dust.
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The ceiling.
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Smashed windowpanes.
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Rusty valves.
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Rust.
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Rust.
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Rust.
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There are some nice coves among the rocks where you can sunbathe in privacy. :)
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German Chancellery - Angela Merkel's office.
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Los Molinos is a small villages of maybe ten houses set on a beach and surrounded by magnificent cliffs.
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I noticed an unusual structure at the side of the church.
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The sun kept hiding behind one single cloud, which produced a nice play of shadows.
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I took a country road above Dovje and drove for a while until I came across a clearing with nice views.
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Looking towards the northwest: the church of St. Ana in Tunjice and the Julian Alps with Mt. Triglav in the background.
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A week or so later we gathered again. The weather was nicer to us this time. First, the train.
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Kamnik roofs and Zaprice Castle.
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Then we headed up Zaprice hill with a nice view over Kamnik and Stari grad.
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OK, a nice road, but nothing special.
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I only met a few other mountaineers and was surprised that the nice weather didn't attract more people.
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The Zaprice Castle from below.
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The Zaprice Castle.
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Yes, panning takes practice.
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Njivice.
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St. Ana church in Tunjice and Mt. Triglav in the misty background.
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One of the defensive towers at the Zaprice Castle.
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Inside the tower.
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A tower with a view.
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The Zaprice Castle from another perspective.
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Sebastian in front of a granary at the Zaprice Castle.
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It was magnificent.
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A very quick shot - I noticed a tractor heading towards me very fast and I just raised the camera in my hand. There was no time to change the settings, I just snapped a photo. And I love it!
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The road winds its way high onto the slope of the mountain from where the views of the Alps are magnificent.
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The entrance to Mokrice Castle.
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The courtyard.
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In the courtyard.
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Stairs.
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In the courtyard.
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A small chapel near the castle.
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Mokrice Castle estate.
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The chapel among the trees.
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The interior of the chapel.
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The castle from the moat.
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On the golf course.
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Is the ice thick enough to iceskate on? I doubt it.
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Putting green.
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Kamniški vrh and Sv. Ana church in Tunjice.
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Mountain grass - ah, so nice.
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At the top of the mountain there are magnificent views over the hut settlement.
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Dolic hut at the bottom, Hribarice and the Triglav valley.
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It was such a nice day and the light played right into my hands.
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The Streža ridge is quite airy with precipices on both sides. The fog, however, prevented us from seeing the abyss to the left.
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Snow-capped mountains above Jesenice.
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A viewing platform suspended from the mountain was closedfor visitors as it was being cleared of snow and ice.
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St. Ana in Tunjice.
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Zaprice castle.
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Starting early from the Kamniška Bistrica valley meant we had to use our headlamps before it dawned above Velika planina.
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As we were making our way up to the Kokra Saddle, the sunrise colored the looming walls above us orange.
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Coming out of the woods.
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In the last stretch below the saddle there were a few snowy patches.
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Yellow mist in the valley.
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It had been relatively warm until we reached the saddle, but there the howling wind almost blew us over.
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After putting our jackets, caps and gloves on we continued towards Grintovec.
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Some people were already returning from the peak!
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The beginning of the Plemenice route.
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There was little snow on the sunny, grassy slope.
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The views to the southwest revealed fog in the valley.
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I took a photo of Mt. Mangart and only noticed later at home that there were two climbers descending from the top. Can you see them?
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Somebody was bored. :)
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Slowly we made our way up the mountain.
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The last slope is deceptive: slanting at an steady angle it makes the peak look closer than it really is.
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Kalški greben in the background.
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Finally we reached the top!
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And we had to brace ourselves as the wind was so strong it almost knocked us over.
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Looking south: Mokrica, Košutna, Kalški greben, Krvavec.
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Looking east.
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Fog in the valley.
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Peter and I at the top.
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Precipices on both sides make for lovely views - and vertigo for the faint-hearted.
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Yay! :)
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Soon more people reached the summit, braving the wind. Can you see snow particles in the air?
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In 15 minutes my fingers froze while taking photos, so we soon headed back down.
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Descening was much faster than climbing.
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There wasn't just one trail, there were hundreds.
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After breakfast we had to cross a snow-covered slope, but as the snow was soft, we didn't need crampons or an ice axe.
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My estimate is that about 50 people climbed Grintovec that Sunday.
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A bit further down the slope the wind abated a bit and I was able to change lenses again. Velika planina in the distance.
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Velika planina and fog rolling in in the background.
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Triglav.
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Štruca and Skuta.
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Ojstrica, Planjava and Brana.
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A blaze on a rock.
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A scree slope.
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The same creation of the bored climber(s). :)
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Kalška gora and Kalški greben.
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By then the snow got heavier and wetter.
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Grintovec in all its glory.
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The Cojz hut at the Kokra Saddle is in constant shade during the winter.
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Cojz hut.
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Layer of smog/fog in the valley.
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U.
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We saw a girl in only a T-shirt. Brrrrrr!
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Sliding down the scree from the Kokra Saddle was the most tiresome part of the whole climb.
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When we were almost back in the valley, we could see that we were actually in a layer of fog. Brana above us.
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Looking back to where we just descended from.
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The fog on the right hand side prevented us from seeing down the precipice.
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To the north the sky was beginning to clear. Were we going to have some nice weather after all?
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The magnificent Mt. Planjava and the chapel in the foreground.
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Snow and ice in places. The sun doesn't shine here.
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The monastery is hidden in a narrow valley and is easy to miss.
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Once you enter through the main gate, the church ruins are on your right. I though I saw a face here! :)
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Trees grow on top of the walls.
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In the middle of the walled courtyard only a few buildings were renovated, the rest are in ruins.
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In the tower there is a 3-D model of the monastery.
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3-D model.
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Walls with towers.
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Reflection.
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High up on the tower.
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Inside one of the towers.
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The courtyard.
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