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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This is also a starting point for a few mountain hikes.
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After we left Sorrento, the skies above the horizon started to clear up.
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Vrata Valley and the infamous Mt. Triglav's north face.
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Below Vršič Pass.
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Below Vršič Pass.
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Sheep below Vršič Pass.
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Sheep below Vršič Pass.
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Larches below Vršič Pass were still green.
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Below Vršič Pass.
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In the afternoon we drove to the Mangart Pass. On the way there is a beautiful beech forest.
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Views from the Mangart pass road.
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Views from the Mangart pass towards Italy.
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Luka joined us for a few hours.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass and Mt. Mangart.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass.
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Mangart pass.
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Mt. Mangart.
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Last sun rays from Mangart pass.
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Last sun rays from Mangart pass.
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Views from the Mangart pass towards Italy.
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Mt. Mangart just after sunset.
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Mt Mangart before moonrise.
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Silhouettes at Mangart pass.
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Star trails at Mangart pass in moonlight.
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We only got the car around 11 a.m. so our exploration started in the harshest part of the day. We drove south, past Puerto del Rosario, and made our first stop at Costa de Antigua. The shore with cliffs is impressive.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) at dusk.
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As soon as we started up the path beyond the hut, the sun appeared from behind the clouds.
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The trail back to our starting point led through some more larch trees.
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We skipped breakfast and started at about 7 a.m., drove across the whole island and arrived at the town of Morro Jable at about 9 a.m. The place is quite touristy, but our main interest was the beach.
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Somewhere in the beginning of the Krma valley where we parked the car and started walking.
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Views of southern part of Kamnik from Stari grad.
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The view of Stari grad from my house.
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The night was short. We got up at 4.30 to start the hike early, but before we set off, the view over Lake Bohinj enveloped in fog left us with our mouths open.
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Homec from Stari grad.
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The bypass road, Kamniška Bistrica river on the left and Stari grad hill in the background.
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I left the car and started climbing towards my first peak, Kofce gora.
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Ljubljana could be seen in the distance - can you spot the Ljubljana Castle?
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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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One more look at the fog in the valley and at 5 a.m. we started walking.
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Kamnik.
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The hike to Stari grad was like walking on a red carpet. Actually one had to be quite careful where to put one's foot as the slope was slippery as hell.
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Kamnik.
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Reflection.
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The Kamnik Alps towards the north.
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A bench and a trail.
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Mekinje monastery.
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There were a couple of downpours while we were out shooting, so we had to seek shelter. After we'd given up and called it a day, I decided to drive up to the summit of Stari grad to capture this amazing light. Yes, it was really that freaky.
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A series of water mills.
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Sebastian and Ana on the Stari grad hill.
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Mali grad hill with the chapel in Kamnik.
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A series of water mills.
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Stari grad.
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Kamnik roofs and Zaprice Castle.
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Yellow leaves.
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Then we headed up Zaprice hill with a nice view over Kamnik and Stari grad.
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By now we were out of the shade and already started peeling layers of clothes off.
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A mushroom.
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Panorama of Kamnik from the Mali grad hill.
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Mali grad chapel.
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The view from the top of Stari grad towards the Kamnik Alps is always beautiful.
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Mali grad chapel.
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Glowing larches on a slope.
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View from Stari grad over Mekinje and the Kamnik Alps.
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The ponds are full of various vegetation - no idea what this starlike grass is called.
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Kamnik from the Mali grad hill.
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Looking south.
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Sebastian taking photos of Kamnik.
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Looking west.
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From the pass we started descending towards the Krn Lake.
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Mali grad.
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Road to the west.
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Mengeš, the town where I have been living for the past three years.
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The Zaprice Castle from below.
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Slopes of Mt. Krvavec.
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The Zaprice Castle.
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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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On this trail there was some kind of grass that was blooming and the air was filled with pollen. As we both have allergies, we started to sneeze and snivel like crazy.
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Last sun rays.
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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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The sky had started to get overcast by the time we left.
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Sebastian in front of a granary at the Zaprice Castle.
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Stari vrh ski slopes.
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Getting close to my starting point.
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I started the trip in the valley of the Kamniška Bistrica River. The Alps are in the background.
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The view from the Old Bridge over the Neretva River in the middle of a very hot day.
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Old Bridge is Mostar's most famous monument. Built in the 16th century, it was destroyed in the war in 1993 but was later reconstructed and now it's visited by many tourists every year.
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Later in the day the heat got more tolerable and the light more forgiving for the photographer.
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The Old Bridge from the river level.
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On the bridge local boys collect money from the tourists and then perform a 20-meter dive into the river.
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The steps can be pretty slippery.
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The Old Bridge is always full of tourists.
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The bridge and last sun rays.
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The old part of town with craft shops and a view of the Old Bridge.
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Colorful houses.
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The old part of town with craft shops.
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The narrow streets with a myriad of souvenirs.
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In such heat nothing beats a cold beer - if you can get one! In Muslim-run restaurants and bars alcoholic beverages are not served.
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Sad remnants of the war.
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The Old Bridge at night.
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The road that leads to the village of Stara Baška winds its way high above the sea.
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From the top you can see Stara Baška and some islands in the background.
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Stari grad above Kamnik.
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At the Korošica plateau we turned right and started climbing the Ojstrica slope.
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Clouds started to roll in.
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But when we reached Velika planina and looked over the edge ... the light started to change.
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Fog started to fight the sun.
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Looking toward the other side, the fog had already started to creep up from the valley.
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The hike starts at Rogla at about 1400 meters above sea level.
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We started our descent to the Mlinar Saddle.
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A stark contrast with last year's view when the surrounding mountains were still snowless.
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We started hiking at about 7.30. Low sun and backlit trees - a photographer's dream! ;)
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The view towards Stari grad, Kamnik and Krvavec.
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The village of Stara Baška at dusk.
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As we started ascending Kalška gora, we admired sunlit Grintovec and Kočna.
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At the start.
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When we got to Stara Baška, I ran to the beach to capture this.
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Getting dark over Stara Baška.
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Mt. Slatnik (1600 m) on the left was our next destination. Dark clouds from the west started to approach.
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Clouds started to roll in.
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One night we walked to the village of Stara Baška some 30 minutes away.
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Stara Baška only consists of a handful of houses and a marina.
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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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We started the hike in the Vrata valley at 5 a.m.
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Clouds started to roll in from the south.
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Fall colors were starting to show.
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It was a sunny Tuesday and I only started at about 6 p.m.
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After parking the car on the Pokljuka Plateau, we started ascending the ski slope. The clouds looked really oppressive and we feared rain.
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Soon the clouds rolled in and the fun of shooting star trails was over.
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The clouds were starting to get more and more yellow and orange.
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When the mass was over, people started to leave.
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The trees were already beginning to start yellow and red.
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... so I took a few more photos, and while we had a hearty meal at the hut, it started pouring.
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Sun star.
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Stars.
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An early start paid off. I reached the first clearing just in time for the first sun rays.
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Ligety started the second run.
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I didn't climb up very far as I didn't even have the right clothes and shoes with me. Soon I turned around and started my descent.
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