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

Kootwijkerzand is a drifting sand area on the Veluwe in the Dutch province of Gelderland. With an area of 700 ha is the largest shifting sand area in Western Europe. It is part of the Kootwijk forestry reserve. During our last visit on a cold clear day in December 2021 the landscape and the trees were partly covered (in the shade) with hoarfrost, which made a particularly charming and moody scene. Especially as during our walk we were just the two of us and didn't encounter any other people in this amazing drifting sand area.

Kootwijkerzand is a drifting sand area on the Veluwe in the Dutch province of Gelderland. With an area of 700 ha is the largest shifting sand area in Western Europe. It is part of the Kootwijk forestry reserve. Around 2500 BC, people already lived on the Kootwijkerzand . A flint arrowhead and some pottery remains from around 1700 BC have been found. In the second century AD, a few farms were built and from 700 AD one can speak of a village. In the Middle Ages, iron ore was collected and processed. For this purpose, forest was cut down on a large scale for the production of charcoal. The sandy soil was exposed and started to shift. As a result, the village disappeared under the sand in the 11th century. Management measures are necessary to keep the sand of the Kootwijkerzand moving. Otherwise algae, mosses, lichens and higher plants will cover the sand. The sand is still really drifting. In strong winds, the loose sand blows away in certain places, and comes back down a bit further on. As a result, the terrain changes shape again and again, forming new sand dunes. On the open sandy plain, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees Celsius, while the night temperature can also drop below 0 degrees in summer . The area is often called “the Dutch Sahara”.

Oranjepark: hoarfrost with low sun and backlight.

The Sántis is with a height of 2.502 metres the highest peak in the Alpstein massif in northeastern Switzerland. It is a natural landmark in the region between Lake Walen and Lake Constance. The mountain towers above one of the most beautiful landscapes of Europe and can be seen from miles away. . The name Säntis dates back to the 9th century. It is an abbreviation of the Romansh language for Sambatinus (The one born on Saturday), which was thought to be the name of a nearby area. The name was later used to refer to the summit. In the German language it was originally called Semptis or Sämptis. We were quite lucky with the weather during our visit. We took the aerial cable car at 9.30 am from Schwägalp, right at the foot of the Säntis At the peak we had a breathtaking clear 360-degree view, although it was freezing cold. It is said that one can see six Alpine countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy and France. To be honest I can not tell if I saw all these countries. When back - just more than an hour later - the peak was already surrounded by clouds !! Main picture: Swiss Alps with the Churfirsten in the ‘foreground’. PiP 1: panorama (three pictures stitched together) looking north (Germany and Lake Constance) and northeast (Austria). PiP 2 and 3: freezing and ‘hoarfrosting’ cold.

Oranjepark: hoarfrost on the trees.