Landscapes in Europe

A 40-minute drive from lake Bled lies another beautiful lake named Bohinj. Contrary to groomed Bled which almost has a holiday vibe, Bohinj is a real natural treat. There is a trail around the lake shore which makes for a beautiful diverse walk. While the western and eastern ends attract picnicking families and young sunbathers, the secluded wooded northern shore seems to be favoured by nudists and other people looking for privacy among the shady trees.

Even if you don't have any interest in caves, a visit to the Škocjan Caves is still a must, just for its sheer size. Besides the usual collection of stalagmites and stalactites formations, it contains the largest known underground canyon which extends into several underground chambers. The largest, Martel's Chamber, measures 308 m in length and reaches up to 146 m above the underground flowing river, making it the largest chamber in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Unfortunately, this chamber is not included in any of the cave tours, but instead, you can descend along endless stairs and clinging footbridges into other big chambers like the Murmuring Cave (Šumeča jama) where the Reka River, which created the Škocjan Caves, flows at the bottom. Impressively, Reka River continues to flow underground for a total of thirty-four kilometres before it resurfaces near the Adriatic coast.

The highest point in Spain is actually not on the mainland, but on the island of Tenerife. Here the volcano Teide rises 3,718 m into the sky and is visible from all over the island - if the weather permits. Though Mt Teide last erupted in 1909, it's still active and minor earthquakes do happen. There are several roads leading up the volcano and it's possible to drive all the way up to 2,356 m, where a cable car can bring you further up to the upper station at 3,555 m (tickets can be prebooked online). The last 163 m you need to hike on foot (remember to book a hiking permit online). A large part of the volcano is a natural park and an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and offer some great hiking opportunities through the volcanic moonscape. Even if you don't want to hike, a road trip across the volcano will still give you amazing sights of the snow covered peak of Teide, along with other odd rock formations, in addition to panoramic views over the rest of Tenerife and the neighbouring Canary Islands.

Kullaberg is a fine nature reserve in southern Sweden. Its 75 square kilometre include an old lighthouse, several hiking trails and plenty of rocky coastline. Kullaberg is particularly famous for its steep cliffs, which are used for rappelling and rock climbing. Though the sea is cold year around, diving should be good and there are even schools of harbour porpoises (kind of dolphins). There are several other sights in the area like the charming town of Mölle and the odd giant sculpture of Nimis.

Skogskyrkogården is a huge woodland cemetery in Stockholm. It was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 due to its unique landscape and chapels. The cemetery was created between 1917 and 1920 by two young architects, Asplund and Lewerentz. Their design blends vegetation on sites with architectural elements, taking advantage of the topography of the site. Additional chapels, each designed by Asplund or Lewerentz, were added between 1923 and 1940. The design was groundbreaking due to lack of symmetry and order. There are only a few footpaths and graves were laid out within the forest without excessive alignment, apparently inspired by ancient Nordic burial sites. Asplund and Lewerentz’s design has since had a profound influence on landscape architecture afterwards.

A landscape so imaginary and weird that it's hard to believe it's made by nature. The soft underlaying volcanic rock has been shaped by time, wind and water and left in the most fantastic formations with harder boulders balancing on top of tall rock chimneys. To add further magic to the place the mountain sides and underground have been dug out for housing, monasteries and even whole underground cities for thousands of years. It was in these multi levelled underground complexes where the Christians hide from the Romans to escape their prosecution. Some of the cities are more than 80 meters deep with eight floors and could accommodate more than 20.000 people. It's a truly unique place and you can even sleep in some of the many cave hotels in the area.

Irregardless of religious allegiances, nearly everyone has heard of the story of Noah. Told by God to expect some rain, he built a massive ark to save two of every animal. Eventually, as the waters subsided, the ark came to rest on dry land. Today, many theologians believe that the ark came to rest on the slopes of Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey. Quite a sight for the religiously inclined. However, the mountains has plenty to offers others. Climbing Mt. Ararat is quite popular in the summer months, although it has to be done as a tour due to he number of permits required. And for those not wanting to exert themselves, the snowcapped mountains seemingly erupting for the valley floor is wonderfully photogenic. Ararat has something for everyone.

Tigris River is one of those mythical places. It nourished early civilization in ancient Mesopotamia along with Euphrates River, and is even mentioned in the Bible. So you would expect something more glorious than a lazy brown river which is the reality. You can see, and even dip your toes into, Tigris in the outskirt of Diyarbakir. You have to navigate a maze of small gardens to get down to the river bank, which is equally unimpressive but surprising clean of any rubbish. So go and feel the magic - for you won't see it.

Britain's highest peak is Ben Nevis (1,344 m). It can be trekked by well-equipped hikers (it can get seriously cold and wet up here), but you don't need to go to the top to enjoy this magnificent area. There are lots of trails and shorter walks to keep any nature lover happy. Even the road (A82) that passes by offers amazing views of the Ben Nevis massif. In wintertime, the Nevis Range turns into a full blown ski resort with pistes and lifts on the northern slopes of Aonach Mor (1,221 m), Ben Nevis' little sister.

The Giant's Causeway is a surreal area of packed naturally-made hexagonal rock columns. There are more than 40,000 of them, formed some 60 million years ago when lava from an ancient volcano cooled off. They are stacked together in such a way that they stick right into the air, making a natural giant stepping stone pathway stretching out to the sea, hence the name. It has of course led to myth and legends involving giants. The same rock formations can also be seen at the island of Staffa in Scotland (Fingal's Cave) across the sea. You are welcome to walk on the columns, but be careful not to get too close to the crashing Atlantic waves. It's fascinating to see how well-defined the geometrical shaped columns are from the rest of the otherwise ordinary rocky shore. If you can take your eyes off the wonder, the view of the Northern Ireland coastline is almost equally spectacular. The Giant's Causeway is well-deserved an UNESCO World Heritage Site - and Northern Ireland's only.