m̌ ḫ's photos with the keyword: clouds

Vast green rolling highlands and the dramatic slopes of the Orava Basin create an iconic northern Slovak landscape dotted with meadows, copses, and thick spruce forests. The panorama extends to the Oravské Beskydy and Magura mountains, with the distinctive peaks of Babia hora and the Western Tatras enhancing the horizon. Villages with clustered houses and winding paths nestle below, reflecting centuries of agricultural tradition and woodcraft heritage rooted in a harsh, authentic Carpathian environment. This region blends fertile pastureland with forested ridges, creating spectacular scenery shaped by glacial terraces, flysch slopes, and peat bogs unique to Orava.

This panoramic black-and-white photograph captures the remarkable scope of contemporary Seoul, where a dynamic urban expanse climbs over rolling hills. The Han River carves through the frame, continuing its age-old role as the city’s lifeline—now paralleling high-speed trains and cutting-edge neighborhoods. In the distance, Namsan Seoul Tower rises as a symbol of the city’s blend of modernity and tradition, perched above one of the world’s most vibrant metropolises. Despite being a megacity with over 9 million residents, Seoul surprises with its green oases, like Namsan Park, interwoven among dense skyscrapers and bustling districts.

In the timeless gardens of Schloss Hof, the fountain's surface ceases to be mere water and becomes a portal to a liquid dimension. Here, the rigid grandeur of the baroque palace dissolves into a hypnotic, mercurial dance. Reality melts and warps, its colors bleeding into one another like ink on a wet page. This is not a reflection, but a reverie — a psychedelic mirage where light shimmers and breathes. Each ripple is a thought, a pulse in the dreaming mind of the water. The image captures a fleeting moment of cosmic alchemy, transmuting stone and sky into an ethereal, ever-shifting tapestry that hums with a silent, vibrant energy.

Holidays in Mallorca have a way of blending the extraordinary with the everyday. The blue sea stretches out, impossibly clear, while the sky above is a canvas of swirling clouds and sun-bleached blue.

Perched at nearly a thousand metres above sea level, Liptovský hrad endures as the highest castle ruin in Slovakia. Its battered walls, now softened by moss and wildflowers, once guarded the ancient trade routes that threaded through the Liptov region. The ascent from Kalameny is a steady climb, the path weaving through dense forest and emerging onto open slopes where the castle’s silhouette stands stark against the sky. The stones underfoot are uneven, worn by centuries of footsteps-soldiers, messengers, perhaps even fugitives seeking shelter within these walls. At the summit, the view unfurls in quiet grandeur. To the south, the Low Tatras rise in pale blue ridges, their peaks often veiled in mist. Below, the Liptovská Mara reservoir glimmers, its waters reflecting the changing sky. Villages cluster in the folds of the land, their red roofs vivid against the patchwork of fields and meadows. The wind carries the scent of pine and distant woodsmoke, mingling with the faint echo of history. Here, the landscape is not merely seen but felt-a living mosaic shaped by time, conflict, and the enduring presence of the castle, its silence holding the memory of all who have gazed from these heights.

When most people visit Schloss Hof, they’re drawn to the palace’s grandeur and gardens, but the real engine of the estate was always the Meierhof-the massive Baroque farm complex tucked just behind the main building. Imagine it as an 18th-century “backstage area” where all the practical magic happened. Here, blacksmiths, potters, and basket weavers kept the estate running, producing everything from horseshoes to kitchenware. Many of these traditional workshops have been revived, so visitors can watch craftspeople at work, keeping centuries-old skills alive. One of the estate’s cleverest features is its orangeries, which used a pioneering underground hot-air system to grow citrus fruits year-round-a sort of Baroque greenhouse innovation. The stables were home to rare horse breeds, and you’ll still see unusual animals like white donkeys wandering the grounds today. Schloss Hof’s Meierhof wasn’t just about agriculture; it adapted with the times. During World War I, it even hosted the Austro-Hungarian Naval Academy, and later, it was requisitioned by military forces. Today, the Meierhof is a lively, hands-on museum, offering a glimpse into the estate’s industrious past-a reminder that behind every grand palace, there’s always a hard-working, innovative side making it all possible.

Like a painting come to life, the view from Vlkolínec captures the essence of a Slovakian winter scene. The forests of the Veľká Fatra mountains are capped with strokes of white powder, the early snowfall dusting the peaks in the distance. Below, nestled in the foothills, lies a village lost in time. The winding cobblestone streets and weathered log cabins of Vlkolínec seem untouched by modern life. Situated 718 meters high on the slopes of the Carpathians, winters arrive early here, transforming the traditional homes into a winter wonderland long before the lower valleys see snow. The few residents go about their days, hardened to the cold and accustom to the hibernating tourism of the off-season. While the summer months attract more visitors with quaint shops, folk dances and festivals, the village holds a certain magic in the colder days. The snow-laden roofs, smoke billowing from stone chimneys, and the crunch of frost underfoot immerses you in winter as it was for centuries past. Vlkolínec remains an open-air folk museum, where the onset of winter reveals as much preserved beauty as the height of summer.

The journey to Khardung La Pass winds through a landscape that transforms dramatically with gaining altitude. Far below lie patchwork fields surrounding Leh, giving way to desert-like expanses of rock and sand. As the road climbs higher into the rarefied air, the scenery shifts to snow-draped peaks and valleys. At the summit, a panorama of Himalayan wonder unfolds. Reaching the top feels like entering an airy castle hall, the soaring mountain peaks the columns supporting a vaulted ceiling of deepest azure. One can almost hear the wind whistling ancient tales through the rocky crags. As the road crests the pass, a breathtaking panorama unfolds on all sides - wave after wave of stark ridgelines marching to the horizon, their flanks dressed in ice and snow even in high summer.