Category: Travel Tip

Frost – Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, Early December 2016

December 2016 was a dry month in many parts of Germany except the North-East. There was also very little snow in many regions. However another weather phenomenon created fascinating sceneries: hoar frost. After some warmer periods there was ground frost and air frost in the early days of December. It was the right condition for hoar frost which is composed of tiny ice crystals. Hoar frost is formed by the same process like dew and when the temperatures of surfaces are below the freezing point (further information: met office). Hoar frost creates great motives for photography and film. The Garmisch-Partenkirchen valley is particularly interesting during such days. Its one of Germany’s most spectacular sceneries anyway with the highest mountain of Germany, the “Zugspitze” and a huge skiing area. The huge mountains are on the south-side of the valley. Consequently there are parts in the valley like the village Grainau which gets very little sunshine in December and January. In the shadow side of the valley on the north-side of the Zugspitze its cold and the hoar frost remains. On the other side of the valley it can be warm and sunny at the same time. Thus there are very different climate conditions in a small area. A special place is the Eibsee, 1000 metres above sea level. It’s surrounded by woods and in a wild alpine area. The Eibsee is the last stop of the famous cog railway in the valley. Its also the valley station of the cable car which brings visitors in a few minutes to the top of the mountain. There is a walkway around the lake leading to a fascinating landscape. There is also a little island in middle of the lake and a luxury hotel on one side. The shore of the lake is formed by huge rocks, which looks great with a thin layer of hoar frost. During winter the lake is often frozen. Due to the special conditions interesting patterns appear on the ice surface.

In winter and autumn there are often very different weather conditions in the alpine region and the region in the north of the mountains. In the valley of Garmisch-Partenkirchen it was a sunny day, but at the end of the valley there was a mist remaining for most of the day. Atmospheric inversion happens often when there is high pressure. This means there is a warm layer of air on top of the cold air in the valley. It can get really warm on the mountain tops. Sometimes you can see the mist then below, which is like being above the clouds. If atmospheric inversion lasts for a longer time it can create problems with air pollution near the ground because there is no circulation of air. Cold pockets of air can also last very long in some alpine valleys like the “Funtensee” in Bavaria, which is regularly mentioned in the weather news due to its extreme low temperatures. During December Garmisch-Partenkirchen prepares for the winter season. It can still be very warm when the “Föhn”, a warm wind created by rain-clouds on the south-side of the alps, lets temperatures rise. Climate-Change is also an issue with longer periods of warm weather and a melting glacier during summer. Nevertheless the Garmisch Partenkirchen valley is a very attractive destination for tourists in winter. Recently there had been huge investments. A new cable car is built which will bring more visitors to the top of Zugspitze. Usually there is a weather-change after New Year and when snow falls the valley turns into a fairy-tale landscape, which is another great scenery for photography. A great place is also the partnach gorge with bizarre ice sculptures.

by Waldmeister Categories: Seasons Winter, Travel TipTags: , , , ,

CLEAR AUTUMN SKY AND A KITE FESTIVAL IN STÖLLN, BRANDENBURG, GERMANY (VIDEO)

End of September is a good time for kites. Sunday, September 27, was a day with a clear blue autumn sky and some wind. Compared to the heat-wave in Summer September and October was cold in Middle-Europe. It was also not much rain. The drought which lasts now for months became a problem for some farmers. “Kite-Pilots” and families however certainly enjoyed the weather and gathered in Stölln, which is west of Berlin for a kite-festival. Artists came from everywhere, even from Tasmania. The “Gollenberg”, a hill in the “Westhavelland”, has also a very special history. Pioneer Otto Lilienthal made his first experiments with his gliders here. Unfortunately he also had a deadly accident on the Gollenberg. Today, the Gollenberg is an air glider airfield and was host of the German Gardening Exhibition BUGA in 2015. Foremost its an excellent viewpoint. Visitors can look really far. The clear autumn air allowed to enjoy the panorama. There is also a traditional weather-station on the “Gollenberg”. West of the “Gollenberg” are the rivers Havel and Elbe. From this little hill the typical lowland of the North of Germany could be studied. Its interesting that standing on the Gollenberg does indeed feel a bit like standing on a mountain, even its a small hill. But the thing that the whole surroundings are very flat, like in the Netherlands and therefore looking down from the Gollenberg appears maybe higher than the hill actually is. On top of hill is a memorial for Otto Lilienthal, which is a 20 minutes foot walk from the airfield. There is also very interesting vegetation on this hill. Unlike the surrounding meadows and wetlands close to the river Havel, the hill is a sandy hill with dry meadows. The impression is a bit like standing on one of the dunes at the Northern Sea. In the Westhavelland is also the first dark sky park of Germany due to its excellent conditions for astronomers. In the village of Stölln there is a Otto-Lilienthal-Museum telling his life-story. Video shows some coverage of the day of the kite-festival and the scenic view from the top of the Gollenberg hill.

by Waldmeister Categories: Seasons Autumn, Travel TipTags: , ,

Autumn Colors

Even October had been again too warm compared to average temperatures in middle Europe over many years before, the change of colors of leaves indicated that winter isn’t so far away. When green becomes yellow it’s an awesome sight. The wild Bode valley in the Harz Mountains sometimes called “the German grand canyon”, is always a great place for photography of nature, particularly in October. Vegetation looks in some spots more like in Norway or some remote alpine region rather than a forest in Northern Germany. In the lower regions of the Harz Mountains, the forest is dominated by beech trees and oak trees. The oaks are often smaller as in flat regions and exhibit bizarre forms on the top of the hills. At the “Hexentanzplatz” viewpoint above the valley and the village of Thale, you can see an endless forest with many shades of yellow and brown, and many visitors come here during the weekends.

The colors are further differentiated by the change between sunlight and clouds obscuring the sunlight. Even the so-called “Indian summer” or “golden October” is a very common motive it’s worth to take some time and watch the forest and landscape for hours.

Where we see a green sea of trees during summer there are now many details to be seen in the forest, and these details always change when clouds appear and create different settings of light. We might hope for these typical crisp and very clear blue sky days in autumn but for taking pictures a thin veil of clouds isn’t so bad because the light is softer, and you haven’t to handle as many sharp contrasts or very dark areas when taking pictures. Morning hours are often a good time before the mist has completely disappeared.

Enjoying nature or taking photographs in autumn is a lot about the right timing. It’s often only a few days in autumn where the veils of mist lift and the sun break through which offer unforgettable moments. In the mountains, one big storm or a lot of rain put the magic then quickly to an end. Unlike last year where a devastating storm hit Northern Germany in October weather was more friendly this year. Other areas in Europe weren’t so lucky when particularly in November Northern Italy and Southern France was suffering from flooding. The South side of the Alps got an incredible amount of rain. If it rains on the South side of the alps it gets warm in Southern Germany because of the “Föhn”-wind, a strong dry wind, which make the sky dark and blue and you can look very far. It’s also notorious for its effects on human health and behavior as giving you headaches. The phenomenon is a bit similar to the Santa Ana winds in California. The “Föhn” effect is also possible in lower mountain regions as the Harz mountains, however, doesn’t create such extraordinary clouds like in Southern Germany or Austria. The Harz mountains usually get more rain on the west and northern side where rain clouds from the Northern sea arrive. The Bode Valley is on the east side of the mountains. The Northern Germany region enjoyed moderate temperatures even in November and there weren’t really big disruptions from cold weather and snow so far. >

by Waldmeister Categories: Autumn, Seasons, Seasons Autumn, Travel Tip, Uncategorized

Untere Oder National Park: The Wilderness in Berlin’s Backyard

March 9, 2014 was a warm day in Germany and a good time to visit the National Park near the border between Germany and Poland. The two countries are divided by the river Oder, which marks today Germany’s North-East Border. The region is vastly a nature reserve today on both sides.  Even it has been cultivated by humans for a long time this region in Berlin’s backyard is a reminder of the everlasting struggle between man and nature.  Again and again floods destroyed what humans had built and changed the landscape constantly. It’s also for plants and animals a constant struggle for survival. Only the strongest trees can withstand the enormous power of the water. The climate is more extreme as in other parts of Middle-Europe: there are extreme cold winters and ice on the river can lead also to dangerous situations and massive destructions. The little hills on the German side of the river are perhaps some of the most dry spots in the whole country.

The days at the end of winter  before the landscape turns into a friendly green might lead to an impression of desolation in areas like this.  The cold light of the season – early March – adds to that effect. However it is possible to see more as in summer – the trees bear the scars of the winter and the storms which passed through the region. The meadows are still under water or we can see the traces of the last flood. Thus a visit in nature reserves like this one can be an interesting experience at any time.

Due to the mild winter migration birds arrived early in the North. In the Oder National Park big flocks of goose can now be seen among other animals who returned for the summer.

The picture below are impressions from the meadows and forest surrounding the river valley: the remains of a fallen tree looks like some bizarre creature; the huge tree stands like a lone warrior on one of these very dry meadows on the hills and the big trees spread around in the river bed create the unique character of the nature reserve “Untere Oder”

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The National Park is close to the cities of Angermünde and Schwedt in The Uckermark region. An excellent information centre in the village Criewen, which is also a perfect starting point for excursions into the nature reserve, provides very useful information and is often frequented by school classes.

 

by Waldmeister Categories: Travel Tip, Uncategorized