Lucerne is situated in the central part of Switzerland. The location of the city is magnificent, not only is there a large lake in front, but also a a “private” mountain called Pilatus. The city itself is beautiful too, with historic city walls and an old wooden bridge across the river Reuss. The pictures were shot in late summer / early autumn of 2021.
The surroundings of Zell am See are characterized by diverse natural habitats, reaching from the lake itself, to a wide array of swamps and grasslands. The higher you go the more nature is changing as well. At around 3.000 meters eternal ice is covering the moutaintops, like white rooftops they stand protective over this magnificent land.
The Lake of Zell (“Zeller See”) may not be impressive looking at raw data alone. The lake is pretty small with a length of 3,8 km and a width of 1,5 km. What makes this body of water so picturesque is the landscape surrounding it. The Lake of Zell is situated it the midst of the alps with mountains over 3,000 meters in close distance. On bright days you can see as far as to the “Hohe Tauern” mountain range, the largest one in Austria. Situated at the western shore of the lake is a lovely little town with the same name. Starting from here you can reach the peak fo Schmittenhöhe by cable car. The views from atop on the lake and the town are magnificent by itself, offering incredible views on the region. Other ways to discover the lake is to take a boat trip across the lake or make use of the pathway parallel to the shore and bike or walk along.
Shot in Scotland at the Loch (Lake) Linnhe in August 2019.
Last summer I had the privilege to spend again some weeks in Latvia. The country situated in the center of the Baltics in Northeastern Europe. The population is concentrated mostly in the capital Riga and in other larger cities, while the countryside still maintained a lot of charm and beauty which is already gone elsewhere in Europe. Some impressions.
Travelling trough Austria consists in large parts of wandering trough valleys and lakes framed by endless mountains. And occasionally also of climbing one. That’s exactly what we did two weeks ago when we went up Mt. Schoberstein (something over 1,000 Meters). Not the tallest one by far but one with a marvelous view on the lakes of the Salzkammergut (in particular Lake Attersee and Lake Mondsee). Afterwards I continued by journey to another famous lake, the Traunsee, where I had the opportunity to take part in a boat ride across the lake passing by the equally famous Mt. Traunstein.
The pictures shot these days I want to present you in two posts. No particular order. Hope to sparkle some enthusiasm for the Alps! 🙂
Michael Hoffman Photography 
