Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: bergen

Tzoumerka - also called Athamanika - is a mountainous region in northwestern Greece, between Ioannina, Arta and Meteora. Its highest point in Tzoumerka – part of the Pindus mountains - is the mountain Katafidi with 2.393 meters.zoumerka. The region is not very well known, yet offering an “earthly paradise”, picturesque villages, extraordinary monasteries, surrounded by gorges, rivers and steep mountains. Tzoumerka has a low population density with just some smaller villages. Forests dominate the low-lying areas of the mountain; grasslands, shrubs and barren rocks the higher elevations. The name Tzoumerka seems to be of Vlach origin, as “tzoum” in the language of Vlachs means the “steep peak”. We took a drive through the most rugged and remote part of Tzermouka: Metsovo - Syrrako. This was one of the most challenging and exciting road trips we have ever driven. Imagine a narrow road - barely wide as a car - full of small and even large boulders, sometimes a partially eroded road surface (PiP4). That road winds steeply through the landscape with many hairpin bends. To make matters worse, we also faced fog for much of the drive. After the hamlet of Chaliki, the road improved to reach an altitude of almost 2,000 metres - sometimes with snow on the roadside. With a countless number of curves, we finally reached Syrrako. With that, this Greek adventure came to an end.

This is a view of the Wolfgangsee (Lake Wolfgang), taken when we were hiking the so called Pillstein-Panorama-Rundweg . This is a worthwile - and quite easy - walk in wonderful mountain scene high above the Wolfgangsee and other lakes in this part of Austria. Starting point is the mountain station of the Zwölferhorn cable car above the village of St. Gilgen. One is rewarded with awesome panoramic views of the surrounding alpine pasture area, the peaks of the Osterhorn group and the limestone high Alps further away. The circular path goes around the Pillstein and returns to its starting point.

The Sella Group (Gruppo del Sella, Sellagruppe) is a plateau-shaped mountain massif in the Dolomites. It is located in Northern Italy on the border of Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-Südtirol) and Veneto. South of the Sella lies the Marmolada Group with the highest mountain of the Dolomites. To the west one has a view of the Lang- and Plattkofel (PiP 4). The highest peak of the Sella Group is the Piz Boè at 3.151 meters above sea level. My pictures were taken at the Pordoi Pass, with an altitude of 2.239 meters, connecting the villages of Arabba with Canazei. From the pass starts a cable car to the Sass Pordoi (2.950 m).

Wildhaus is a rural village, whose houses are scattered in a broad valley between the Churfirsten (main image) and the Alpstein mountains (PiP). The village is located on the Wildhaus Pass between the Rhine valley and Unterwasser in Toggenburg. With an altitude of 1.090 metres it is the uppermost village in canton St. Gallen. The precipitous rock formations of the seven Churfirsten contrast sharply with the gentle landscape on the valley floor and are the natural boundary between Toggenburg and Sarganserland. The limestone ridge is running from east to west with seven peaks formed by erosion. To the south it has a much more vertical drop of hundred metres towards Lake Walen. The seven peaks of the Churfirsten are (from left to right): Chäserrugg, Hinterrugg, Schibenstoll, Zuestoll, Brisi, Frümsel and Selun. With a height of 2.306 metres is the Hinterrugg the highest one. The name is a plural, indicating the peaks forming the historical boundary of the bishopric of Chur. It has historically also been folk-etymologized as Kurfürsten , i.e. the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire who in the later medieval period (until 1648) numbered seven, which in turn encouraged the count of seven main or "official" peaks.

The majestic Matterhorn - king of mountains with a height of 4.478 metres - is the most famous landmark of Switzerland. Most probably this triangular pyramid shaped rock is the most photographed mountain in the world. Its shape and free-standing position make the Matterhorn to be the epitome of a mountain. There is no better-known mountain in the world whose natural shape is so close to a pyramid. Hundred million years ago enormous forces brought Africa closer to Europe. Fifty million years later, as the rock masses folded and deformed, the Matterhorn was born from the rock thrusting upwards. Matterhorn is first mentioned in medieval documents as Mons Silvus , which finally became Mont Cervin in French and Cervino in Italian. The German name Matterhorn first appears in the year 1682. The name is probably derived from Matte , meaning alpine meadow, referring to the grassy valley, which has now been almost completely covered by the village of Zermatt.

St. Gallenkirch - Montafon - Vorarlberg with the Pfarrkirche St. Gallus.

Montserrat is a mountain range north-west of Barcelona. Its main peaks are higher than 1.000 meters, with Sant Jeroni as highest (1,236 m). Montserrat literally means "saw mountain" in Catalan, which describes the peculiar aspect of the spectacular shaped mountains. The mountains are visible from a great distance and are part of the Montserrat National Park. Montserrat is well known as the site of the Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery with the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary.

Prades Mountains (Muntanyes de Prades), is a mountain massif north of Reus. It is forested with oak and pine trees. Poblet Monastery, located at the feet of the range. Prades Mopuntains is well known for rock climbing on the steep rocks. Centre for this activity is the tiny village of Siurana. Picture: taken from Siurana with a view into the canyon with the winding road towards the village.

Lake Cavallers ( Estany de Cavallers) is located in the 'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park' at a height of more than 1.800 m.