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Roaring Waterfalls and the Spray of Water on your Face! - Brullende Watervallen en de Nevel van Water op je Gezicht!

I will only give you a brief explanation of what a waterfall is as I do not want to bore you too much.
Most waterfalls are the result of cutting out a riverbed for many years. Usually the surface is a hard type of rock with a softer underneath. The water pouring over the edge will grind away the softer underlayer under the hard layer. The hard-top layer will degrade much more slowly. As a result, a sharp edge always remains, but it moves slowly upstream.
Some waterfalls occur in mountainous environments with rapid erosion and current beds that are subject to rapid changes. In these cases, a waterfall is not the result of the slow scraping of a bed by the water but of a relatively quick geological process such as the shifting of slabs in the subsoil or volcanic activity.

I’ve seen many waterfalls in Austria, Canada and the United States during my trips. My views on them and …

Lake Achen & Pertisau in Tirol, a bit of everything and for everybody something - Achensee & Pertisau in Tirol, een beetje van alles en voor iedereen iets.

Lake Achen seen from the Zwölferkopf
Thus far I’ve never been to Lake Achen / Achensee, last year I drove by on my way home but the lake looked so appealing that this year I stopped here for a couple of days.

Some facts. Lake Achen is a lake north of Jenbach in Tyrol, Austria. It is the largest lake in the Federal State Tirol, and has a maximal depth of 133 metres. Together with the Achen Valley it divides the Karwendel Mountain range in the west from the Brandenberg Alps in the east. The water quality is near drinking water, with sight up to 10 m below the surface.
As it is an alpine lake, the water temperature is accordingly low, rarely above 20 °C.
Its size and wind conditions make it suitable for windsurfing. Pertisau, Maurach, Achenkirch, Buchau (near Maurach), Seespitz, Scholastika (near Achenkirch) en Seehof are municipa…

Grossglockner High Mountain Road. Fascinating with a Capital F! - Grossglockner Hochalpenstraße. Fascinerend met een Hoofdletter F!
Leftside Grossglockner still hiding in the clouds and the Pasterze Glacier

I myself and many others use the expression: “The Mountains Are Calling So I Must go”,  from John Muir. Besides the Dolomites, I think the Grossglockner with its height of 3.798m and surrounding fits this expression as-well. A 48 km long scenic drive deep into the Hohe Tauern National Park An area that never bores and you always have lack of time, if you spend here 3 hours or a whole day there is always something you have missed or overlooked as every time the view is different.
During my latest trip, the night before crossing this high mountain road, I stayed in Heiligenblut.  My room had view on his majesty himself and waking up with such a view is magnificent. The weather was predicted to be nice so top of the car down and ready to enjoy the day. 
View from my room at the Nationalpark Lodge…

Curvy and Breathtakingly Beautiful:  The Malta Hochalmstraße in Carinthia. - Bochtig en Adembenemend Mooi:  De Malta Hochalmstraße in Karinthië.
Malta Hochalmstraße Valley View

I found a new challenge in the Malta Hochalmstraße, a really beautiful mountain road. I would say one with an attitude.  The road starts at the Village of Gmünd which is absolutely worth a visit, especially the small streets where artists show there skills by hanging their work on lines high above street-level.

Artist street in the village of Gmünd

At an altitude of 1,933 m is the highest dam wall (no less than 200m high and 626m long) of Austria, called the Kölnbrein Dam. Built between 1971 and 1979.
The 14.4 km long Malta Hochalmstraße takes you to an altitude of 1,933 m, the road is characterized by tunnels and hairpins bends and is popular with two and four wheeled traffic. At the narrowest points, two traffic lights ensure the safety of the visitors, the first one has a maximum waiting time of 22 minutes. They are bo…

Lake Ossiach, Carinthia – Always Good  & Enough to do. - Ossiacher See, Kärnten – Altijd Fijn  & Genoeg te doen.
Setting sun at Lake Ossiach

Lake Ossiach/Ossiacher See is one of the many lakes Carinthia is famous for, only Lake Wörth/Wörthersee and Lake Millstatt/Millstäter See are bigger.  I myself find it more beautiful than the other two, it’s quieter, less boats and more accessible. The lake has a summer temperature of around 28 degrees and therefor popular for water-sport activities. The Tiebel River is the biggest provider of water to the lake.
It lies at the southern foot of the Nock Mountains which are part of the Gurktaler Alps. The lake has 5 major cities which all are depending on tourism: Annaheim, Sattendorf, Bodensdorf, Steindorf and Ossiach. The first four lie on the northern shore and Ossiach on the southern shore of the lake.  Along the lake you’ll find hotels, apartments and campgrounds Ossiach is the hometown of the Ossiach Abbey from which the lake owes its name.  Ann…