snow

We had hardly any snow worth mentioning this year, here in Vienna. It was a different story in higher lying regions though where there was plenty.

Thus, while in the lowlands summer is just about to begin, here on Schneeberg there's still plenty snow left, and spring thus, above the treeline, will begin rather late this year - not before june it seems.

You might remember that I planned my First Ascent to Schneeberg for this year; due to my knee surgery my plans will be delayed considerably but I hope that I'll be able to at least reach base camp level at around about 1.300-1.500 metres above sea level some time soon.

toothache

Painkillers keep me alive.

Oh you're right of course, I shouldn't behave like a baby; it is only a sore tooth, right? Still, damn those dentists who wouldn't work on weekends.

fog

Again photos from my last trip up to Area, Ground, Terrain, take your pick (Gelände). I guess you haven't noticed that for a week now I didn't pester you with those shots from Lobau. Be thankful for the change because I guess this weekend Lobau photos are to follow.

fence

fence

hence

whence I take my stance

surely's from behind the fence

sea of fog

As you can see I've again been up to Area, or Ground, or Terrain, or whatever (Gelände, right?! ;-). Just the perfect day for this as Vienna lay buried beneath this sea of fog for the whole day.

It's really a long way down this cliff on Gelände - even though I'm basically not afraid of heights I always am afraid a little bit when looking down there.

abyss - cross

In fall, when lower lying regions are lost beyond fog, the best thing you can do is do some mountaineering. Well, for the Chalk Hills of Lower Austria (name of Gutensteiner Alpen) you do not need to be that fit really. And to reach the top of those hills has some rewards.

A cross at the peak for once; even though this cross has been put up some 20 metres below the peak proper - and it has been put up lop-sided as well.

And then the abyss. You look down some 600 metres from up there.

The peak by the way doesn't even have a proper name; some maps call it Grosse Kanzel (Great Pulpit) but basically locals seem to refer to it as das Gelände which just means Area, or Ground, or Terrain which isn't much of a name, right?

fern

I am not much use in exactly determining fern species; for me they usually are just - ferns. Like these here.

They are Marvelous Green and Brown Wood Ferns as far as I can tell (Filix silvanus magnificus viridis et fulvus); and even here most likely I've made a couple of errors.

cave bear

Today, while hiking, I had to face probably the last specimen of Ursus spelaeus (Höhlenbär - cave bear). They're supposed to be extinct - but not so, as you can see.

I only wanted to take a photo but the bear obviously didn't like that; and I only managed to escape by a hair's breadth.

(Okay, I'll admit it. I killed him and took his fur which is drying on my balcony right now. But please tell no one as I fear that this was illegal.)

(Okay, okay - I admit: he did kill me. Satisfied?)

cyclamen

Last year in late july many trees already had put on their fall colours; this year, with plenty of rain, nature still is mostly green. Lobau hasn't too much to offer in this transitional period where there are little flowers and, apart from that, boring trees with mostly green leaves. I am awaiting the autumn crocus flowering impatiently, but certainly I'll have to wait at least another couple of weeks.

Today I wasn't in Lobau but in the Alps, on one of the lower hills (where by the way the leaves and ripe fruits of autumn crocusses still were visible while they've already disappeared from Lobau). From there I've brought you an alp cyclamen (Cyclamen purpurascens, German Alpen-Zyklame):

(Also, I've brought with me a minor inury of my left leg while descending the mountain; it is always the descent that hurts - climbing just makes you sweat, but descending really is the horrible thing about hiking in the Alps.)