European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

A Farewell to Autumn

by DoDo
Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 08:59:51 AM EST

It's a week late, but I say farewell to autumn with some photos of autumn foliage I made this year.

The Kalvária of Banská Štiavnica (Hungarian: Selmecbánya, German: Schemnitz) illuminated by the last rays of the Sun. Spot the cows and their watcher.

Lone walker and tree above Breitenstein, Austria

In the cemetery of Bzovík (Hungarian: Bozók), Slovakia

Rather mixed forest on a ridge near Dobrá Niva (Hungarian: Dobornya, German: Döbring) in Slovakia

Forest road towards Šášov (Hungarian: Saskő) Castle in Slovakia

Against the Sun...

The ruins of Šášov Castle rise behind the mountain saddle

Fog spills over Semmering Pass from the other side

A look from the ruins of Šášov Castle towards the mountains

View from Šášov Castle into the valley of the Istebný potok

Alpine pasture below the castle of Klamm, Austria

A local train atop Viaduct Kalte Rinne, Austria

Night has already fallen at the bottom of the valley of the Istebný potok

Evening fog clouds began to roll up the valley of the Schwarza.

Lone house in the forest, with its connections to civilisation (in this instance, the vilage of Küb in Austria), rolled over by evening fog.

The Moon rises over the mountains near Banská Štiavnica.

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A Farewell to Autumn | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Seed comment (4.00 / 11)

Bonus train blogging: OIC252 from Maribor to Vienna left the Polleros tunnel for the Viaduct Krausel-Klause, with the ultra-short Kleine Klause Tunnel next; as seen from atop Doppelreiterkogel.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 06:30:02 AM EST

Re: Seed comment (4.00 / 2)

When is a tunnel a tunnel? Are there length requirements? Also I learned the difference between a Bahnhof and a Haltepunkt. The former has at least one set of points...

Aparently... Zugfahren wie Kaiser Wilhelm One of the comments, makes that comment.

Oh and very atmospheric pictures!

by PeWi on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 09:04:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

When is a tunnel a tunnel? (4.00 / 2)

That gets increasingly blurred, but not due to length requirements. (BTW, according to Wikipedia, the Kleiner Krausel-Tunnel is 13.82 m.)

In some countries (f.e. Spain), there has been a strict distinction between bored tunnels and cut-and-cover tunnels, the latter being called 'false tunnels'. However, nowadays tunnels often have both kinds of sections.
That's easy, but what do you count into the length of the tunnel at the St. Pancras end of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link? There, the bored tunnel is continued by closed tubes -- which also function as bridges above the tracks ino Kings Cross...
Subways are an issue, too: should the sections between stations count as a single tunnel, or an entire line - or the entire network, if there are lots of bifurcations and sections co-usded by multiple lines? Or just deny subway tunnels the title of 'tunnel'.
Even if you ditch subways, what about the in-construction Wienerwald and Lainzer tunnels into Vienna? The first ends not at the surface but a junction at the end of the second, so it's like one single tunnel with exits in the middle -- well, except for the other end of the second, which branches out in three directions...
As an opposite complication, consider the Inntaltunnel and the future Brenner Base Tunnel near Innsbruck. These are at right angles, but there will be an underground connection. The freight trains that shall use it will traverse the longest tunnel section in the world, but is it one tunnel, or two, or three?...

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 10:55:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Seed comment (none / 1)

Also I learned the difference between a Bahnhof and a Haltepunkt. The former has at least one set of points...

Basically. It can get more complicated -- some stops do have switches, some stations no longer have them... The distinction matters for signalling and dispatching, because in some countries, above all Germany, stations have different traffic rules than open lines (e.g. how a train can be stopped or sent on its way, how and when shunting can be done...).

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 11:02:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Seed comment (4.00 / 2)

There is also the issue of collapsed tunnels. Pike's Peak is made of a type of granite that crumbles easily, so while it is formally considered a "hard rock" from the mining viewpoint, many of the short original tunnels on the various lines eventually collapsed, leaving what appear to be cuts. This messes up the tunnel numbering system...

by asdf on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 12:41:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Seed comment (none / 1)

Speaking of collapsed. I climbed Pike's Peak twice (when I was young). Thirteen miles, all up hill, from 6K to 14k feet. As a flatlander, I can tell you I was one tired, sore pup, expecially after the first climb. I could sympathize with those tunnels.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 04:01:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Seed comment (4.00 / 3)

These are all just terrific! They are sharp, well-exposed photos, with great composition and subject selection. I could look at them all day long. Thanks for posting.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 03:51:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (4.00 / 2)

Nice pictures. Thanks.

The picture of Kalvária of Banská is fantastic!

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 09:27:28 AM EST

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 0)

Thanks! (Nitpick: Banská just means "Mine"; several old mining towns have that prefix, it's common like 'Bad ...' for spa towns in German.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 11:05:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 1)

That's not a nitpick - simply the provision of previously unknown information ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 11:36:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 0)

Are they minarets on top?

by njh on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 01:06:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 1)

Great photos!

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 11:55:12 AM EST

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 1)

Fantastic, thanks!

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Dec 6th, 2009 at 01:41:59 PM EST

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 1)

Great photos. The amount of beautiful, sparsely populated landscape you have documented in Central Europe is impressive and would be hard to duplicate, outside of parks and wilderness areas, in the USA.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer at eurotrib.com) on Mon Dec 7th, 2009 at 12:42:49 AM EST

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 0)

Actually, those beautiful, sparsely populated landscapes were either in parks and wilderness areas, or settlements were just behind the mountain or behind the photographer's back :-)

Country	Persons/km²	Persons/mi²
Germany	229.3	594.0
Czech Republic	132.8	344.1
Slovakia	110.5	286.1
Hungary	108.5	281.1
Slovenia	101.2	262.1
Austria	99.6	258.1
USA	32.0	82.9

From Wikipedia. Also from Wikipedia, US states with comparable or higher population density:

State	Persons/km²	Persons/mi²
New Jersey	452.2	1,171.1
Rhode Island	390.8	1,012.3
Massachusetts	317.6	822.7
Connecticut	279.1	722.9
Maryland	221.9	574.8
Delaware	170.9	442.6
New York	157.8	408.7
Florida	130.7	338.4
Ohio	108.1	280.0
Pennsylvania	107.1	277.4
California	90.5	234.4

Your Arkansas has just 54.4 persons per square miles.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Mon Dec 7th, 2009 at 07:02:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 1)

The big difference is that European towns are almost uniformly beautiful.

by njh on Mon Dec 7th, 2009 at 12:29:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (none / 1)

Nope.

by asdf on Mon Dec 7th, 2009 at 07:22:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A Farewell to Autumn (4.00 / 2)

wow, these are simply stunning, the colours and detail so clean and clear.

way to go, Dodo!

"Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do." Jim Hightower

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Mon Dec 7th, 2009 at 09:32:25 AM EST

A week late!? (4.00 / 2)

Here on the coast of New England we did not get our first real frost (and some snow) until THIS week.

I will take the last greens out of the garden today.

Beautiful photos. Thank you.

The Fates are kind.

by Gaianne on Wed Dec 9th, 2009 at 03:15:13 PM EST

Re: A week late!? (none / 1)

It has been below zero (F, about -20 C) here every night for the past week. Hopefully it will get above freezing tomorrow afternoon.

by asdf on Fri Dec 11th, 2009 at 11:25:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So where are you posting from? (none / 1)

As I say, if this global climate change thingy keeps up, New England will become the new Caribbean.

Despite the recent snow, we had another springtime day today.

The Fates are kind.

by Gaianne on Mon Dec 14th, 2009 at 11:46:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

A Farewell to Autumn | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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