#slovenian alps

[traveltoslovenia]

VELIKA PLANINA, Slovenia - spring has arrived to this unique Alpine settlement of 63 traditional herdsmen’s huts located at an elevation between 1,500 and 1,666 metres in the Slovenian Alps. (photos: Neja of Exploring Slovenia)

All you need to know to visit Velika Planina: travelslovenia.org/velika-planina/

[ivacunja]

[maisietheyellowlab]

Spot Navi!

[folkvisuals]

Alpine Aesthetics

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[dopescissorscashwagon]

Beautiful light in the Slovenian Alps

📸 by Mads Peter Iversen

[jacohernandezson]

Pokljuka, Triglav National park, Slovenia.

[aria-diary]

Shepherd boy-Pastircek by Slavko Avsenik

Credit :https://www.instagram.com/rok.leben/

[vestaignis]

Настоящая жемчужина Юлианских Альп, чудо словенской природы — озеро Блед.

Словения славится различными достопримечательностями, однако этот древний водоем, образовавшийся миллионы лет назад в результате таяния ледника, является одним из ярчайших природных памятников страны. Миниатюрное, как сама Словения, озеро достигает всего 2,12 км в длину и 1,30 км в ширину.Окружают озеро звышенности различной высоты – от Осойницы, достигающей 756 метров до 558-метрового Козарца.

Красивейшей вершиной в окрестностях озера является замок Блед – средневековая крепость, возведенная на круче над одноименным городом. Замок Блед в Словении является старейшим, а первые упоминания о нем встречаются в хрониках с 1011 года. К горе, на которой расположен замок, а также к другим возвышенностям, с которых открывается прекрасный вид на водную гладь озера, ведет прогулочная тропа протяженностью шесть километров. Дорожка, огибающая озеро, очень популярна у отдыхающих: здесь можно спокойно посидеть на скамейке и покормить лебедей.

Самым популярным туристическим объектом является, конечно, остров Блед. Когда ледник, наполнивший собой тектоническую чашу, растаял и заполнил водой все вплоть до окрестных гор, крошечная часть суши осталась незатопленной. Люди с незапамятных времен ценили энергетику этого места. Сегодня остров венчает церковь Успения Пресвятой Девы Марии, однако вплоть до XVII столетия здесь находился храм поклонения славянской богине любви и плодородия Живе. Церковь на острове Блед сегодня – одно из самых популярных мест заключения браков.Сам храм являет собой памятник искусства: здесь можно найти готические фрески и отделку в стиле барокко.

На Бледе есть чем увлечься не только любителям красоты и истории, но и адептам активного отдыха. Озеро является тектоническим бассейном глубиной 30,6 метров, что делает его идеальным для дайвинга. Кроме того, здесь очень популярен гребной спорт, а также туристы найдут здесь массу других занятий – от прогулочных лодок и каяков летом, до зимнего сезона катания на коньках. А после прогулки по снежным окрестностям можно согреться, посетив термальные источники, находящиеся на северо-западной стороне озера.

A true pearl of the Julian Alps, a miracle of Slovenian nature - Lake Bled.

Slovenia is famous for its various attractions, but this ancient body of water, formed millions of years ago as a result of the melting of a glacier, is one of the most striking natural monuments of the country. Miniature, like Slovenia itself, the lake is only 2.12 km long and 1.30 km wide. The lake is surrounded by hills of varying heights - from Osojnica, reaching 756 meters to 558-meter Kozarac.

The most beautiful peak in the vicinity of the lake is Bled Castle - a medieval fortress built on a steep slope above the city of the same name. Bled Castle in Slovenia is the oldest, and the first mentions of it are found in chronicles from 1011. A six-kilometre walking trail leads to the mountain on which the castle is located, as well as to other hills with a beautiful view of the lake. The path that goes around the lake is very popular with holidaymakers: here you can sit quietly on a bench and feed the swans.

The most popular tourist attraction is, of course, the island of Bled. When the glacier that filled the tectonic bowl melted and filled everything with water up to the surrounding mountains, a tiny part of the land remained unflooded. People have valued the energy of this place since time immemorial. Today, the island is crowned by the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but up until the 17th century, there was a temple of worship of the Slavic goddess of love and fertility, Živa. The church on the island of Bled is today one of the most popular places for marriage. The temple itself is a monument of art: here you can find Gothic frescoes and Baroque decoration.

Bled has something to offer not only to lovers of beauty and history, but also to fans of active recreation. The lake is a tectonic basin with a depth of 30.6 meters, which makes it ideal for diving. Rowing is also very popular here, and tourists will also find a lot of other activities here - from pleasure boats and kayaks in the summer to ice skating in the winter. And after a walk in the snowy surroundings, you can warm up by visiting the thermal springs located on the northwestern side of the lake.

Источник:/www.tripadvisor.ru/Attraction_Review-g274863-d296735-Reviews-Lake_Bled-Bled_Upper_Carniola_Region.html, /kotsport .ru /ozero-bled-sloveniya,/lenorlux.livejournal.com/150329.html, welcome 2slovenia.com/bled-slovenia/, //bestslovenia.com/bled-lake, /sunsetobsession.com/ru/озеро-блед-что-посмотреть/, /www. youtube.com/shorts/QqdrO4q2j-s.

[frikatilhi]

"We have plans in the colder months of the year" <- Bojan is taking Jere on a skiing trip to Slovenian mountains that are famous for the winter activities. He still can't let go of images of Jere in Pekka's armpit and so next winter is a repeat of same only in Slovenia and just with Bojan ☺️ He'll see those white eyelashes irl 👀❄️

YES. I've been manifesting for Bojan's Lapland holiday but I will GLADLY take this. Slovenian Alps are lovely and Jere can bring his long johns and Bojan can show him what real cuddling is like!!

[stumbleimg]

View towards Big Mountain in Slovenian Kamnik Savinja Alps. [OC][6000x4000]

[traveltoslovenia]

SLOVENIAN ALPS, Slovenia - the calendar may indicate that it is still fall, but winter is quickly approaching to the mountains of the Slovenian Alps. (photo: Krénn Imre Photography, instagram.com/krenn_imre/)

[ivacunja]

[bleding-rose]

Let me show you on how our coins used to look like before we switched to euro. All of them had an animal on it that can be found in Slovenia and each animal had it's latin name writen on the side.

Olm: Can be found in one of the countries most known tourist spots Postojna Cave.

Little eared owl: This little owl is a protected species in our country.

Bee: Bee keeping in our country has been around over 230 years and is a well know practice.

Brook trout: this throut is another protected species in our country that can be only found in clear waters on the western part of the country.

Swallow: this bird is found everywhere in the country from early spring to early autum when they migrate to africa.

Alpine Ibex: The ibex has been exterminated in Slovenia in the 17th century. In 1902 it was resettled and now lives in parts of the Slovenian Alps.

Lipicanec: Is a native Slovenian breed of horses. They name comes from a small town next to the Italian borded named Lipica. The horse breed dates back to the Habsburg Empire in the 16th century.

Stork: Like the shallow the stork also lives in our country from spring to early autum where it migrates to warmer countries. The stork is an unofficial symbol of Prekmurje in Slovenia.

Bull: In Slovenia, agriculture generates around 2% of the domestic product. Slovenian agriculture produces about five-sixths of the food that the Slovenian population needs.

Here you go all the coins we used to have as i was still a child. We still have a few of those in our house and i still remember the time they were used as curency.

absolutely obsessed with this old Slovenian coin with an olm on it. just look at it. no need to make more coins, we've already peaked with this good boy over here

[audaciousamadeus]

Alpine science monastery

I wasn't the only one suffering through the waiting time mentioned in the bottom of my previous post. A native Genevese who lives in London also suffered with the consequences of EasyJet's greed. After parting our ways early in the morning, we found each other again sitting next to each other in our very late plane.

She had far more energy than me and was surprisingly social. To avoid having small talk, I started talking about personal issues and drama (good to do it to strangers, as there is nothing at stake and can be occasionally insightful). She said that when arriving in Geneva, her and her friends were gonna go clubbing and she invited me to come along. My sister in Christ, after so many hours waiting how is it possible that you have so much energy? Even when I have energy, I don't have energy for clubbing. At this point I was merely an empty shell of a person, so I politely declined. We did agree to see each other at some point in London though, maybe for a salsa class.

There must be truly no rest for the wicked and I must be Elphaba. Arriving in my hostel in Geneva I was met with an insanely hot room and I had to share the room with two strangers. I went to bed cuddling my backpack for protection and couldn't sleep due to the heat, so I doomscrolled until exhaustion. Maybe I managed to catch 2 hours of sleep before my train to Visp at 6am. Getting out of my bunk bed was slightly worrying as I was dizzy from consecutive days of sleep deprivation. The way to Visp and then to Saas-fee was so scenic it felt like everything was a postcard on a green screen at times. I stayed in a tiny flat that I shared with two other workshop attendees and had a beautiful view to the alps. Apparently, they shot the video for Last Christmas here, wowie. Good thing that I arrived early so that I could claim my solo room and have good nights of sleep.

After greeting the other attendees and lecturers, including my boss and some colleagues from the Slovenian part of the lab, we had an ice breaker session (most people were from Swiss universities, as the workshop has been subsidised by the Swiss government) and then the lectures and other activities started. I stood victorious against my exhaustion and watched even the chalk talks without falling asleep.

The workshop was divided into sessions for different aspects of RNA biology: processing, compartmentalisation, translation, development, localisation and modifications. For each session some of us were assigned to present and criticise papers that were previously chosen by the lecturers of each session. This made me expect that the course would happen in a more information-based approach. However, I soon realised the course would be more dynamic than expected and most of the learning would come from having to come up with projects and criticising the papers we had to discuss throughout the course. The course was like a huge journal-club and parts of it were actually dedicated to how we should approach ideas, both in creating them and discarding them. In the end creating a sense for these and for critically assessing the research of your peers (and your own) are just as important as having vast knowledge about biology. I have a feeling that all of us in the course had this shared conclusion.

One of the lecturers was a big shot from the field of the biogenesis, function, and degradation of eukaryotic RNAs. Throughout other lectures the others were basically sucking up to him. Big cringe. Hierarchies in academia are so annoying, as if it wasn't enough to deal with just the science you also have to deal with the social component of interactions between people who were most likely misfits in high school and didn't go through therapy later in life.

Interestingly enough the big shot remembered my name and continued to refer to it and to make me answer questions. People asked me if we knew each other from before (we did not). I had a feeling that it was because I was one of the few people that did not treat him as if he was a God. I can only hope it was also because I said very intelligent things but I don't want to be delusional.

I had to prepare my presentation with a PhD student from ETH Zürich. Upon further discussion about our backgrounds before actively working on the presentation, he told me that he was from the exact lab that was my second choice for my PhD back in the end of 2021. In a parallel universe we would be labmates! The PI of the lab he is in was kind and passionate, but seemed like he demanded a lot of independence from his team. Additionally, his intensity could potentially make me uncomfortable in expressing myself when it comes to science. When speaking to my current boss from London I felt comfortable discussing science, was offered a more concrete project, and was assured I would receive more support. Somehow, I intuitively knew this would be the perfect choice and that it would be the ideal place for me to grow even before we finished talking for the first time, which surprised even myself. Considering that I had just been through a traumatic academic experience and my confidence and sense of stability were shaken, these factors were my absolute priority to rebuild myself. Even with the crazy leap of faith that it was to apply for a PhD programme in London and to discard offers in Germany and Switzerland.

When we started discussing the paper itself, I could clearly see how much of a good match he was for his lab. He was extremely critical and vocal about it. Something about him screamed that he was very independent, passionate and intense about science, in a borderline unhinged way. It reminded me a bit of a Russian friend back from my Master's programme in Frankfurt. They are both born and raised Muscovites and both studied at the Moscow State University. I wonder if that's a pattern and if so, if that's a selected personality trait for that specific university or a specific social class in Moscow. Regardless, it's a trait I admire and aspire to develop. Feels like my most instictive mode of interacting with information is to just simply absorb it (and I am very good at it) passively instead of critically. I was reminded of that when hearing his extensive criticism. Always good to have a reminder to improve and we had a productive discussion.

On Wednesday we had a free afternoon in which we could've chosen to rest or to go on hikes. I would rest, but thinking that the opportunity to be in the alps wouldn't present itself again so soon, I decided to join a small group of crazy people that wanted to do the craziest hike around but to go even higher up than its official ending point. What could go wrong with such a great decision? Needless to say, around 30 minutes in my pressure was dropping and I realised the error of my ways. Luckily, I wasn't the only unfit quitter in the group! One of the lecturers, a woman from the University of Vienna whose expertise was in the ribosome heterogeity in bacteria, was also feeling unwell. We both told the group to continue going and found a resting spot 10 minutes later.

"Well, we're already here in Saas-fee, we should still see the top of the mountain..." She trailed off, with an unspoken suggestion that wasn't that hard to infer.

"Should we take the cable car?" - I suggested.

"Oh yes, absolutely. You know, I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

We went our gleeful way up living our best life. On the way the topics ranged from the discussions within the field of ribosome heterogeneity, methods, academia and how it changed within her life time to more personal topics like her family, upbringing, motherhood in academia and other experiences. Getting to the top we knew we had an unspoken agreement to get a beer to continue living our good life and to patiently wait for the fit freaks to arrive at the top so that we could belittle them and say how slow they were. This happened when we were already at our second pint. She reminded me a lot of a PhD student from the lab that I was in when studying in Frankfurt. More and more I feel like I can have a glimpse of what kind of students many senior researchers were.

I briefly wondered who did I see myself reflected on.

The whole week included very productive coffee breaks, as I discussed things to do in my project with my PI. He was under great stress having to finish the application for an ERC grant and still had time to brainstorm for ideas with me and that fills me with gratitude. It also included however feeling some melancholy at times when I wasn't thinking about science. It should be illegal to be sad in the Alps. "Brat summer", I chanted beneath my breath, in hopes that it would fix me.

By the end of the week we worked on a group project in which we basically had to come up with a grant application, down to designing work packages and assigning students and post docs to parts of the project. We then had to present it - kinda felt like a Saas-fee's got talent. I thought this would be way more stressful at first, but even though in the final day we worked together until almost 11pm I had so much fun! Shout out to the people involved. These will be my peers in the future and I cannot wait to see what they will become and when will life make our paths cross again.

Going our separate ways at last, I headed to an Airbnb in the small village of Zeneggen. I spent the afternoon without one single useful thought, and decided to watch youtube videos that were not related to RNA biology until the time I went to sleep. It was marvellous. Finally some crumbs of rest.

Peaceful salutations,

Ms. Audacious

[jambolaja]

Bernina railway and around

Bernina is one of the best scenic train rides in the world, located in the Alpes, starting in Swiss and ending in Italy. I had that in mind for some time but didn’t happen before. Job at Slovenian Railways has many perks, one is almost free train travel around Europe. I will explain this in detail later. I didn’t use that option first two years but now it was a great chance to combine it with a…