Here comes another 2017 photography retrospective. This time aimed at places where the water creates interesting (to me, at least) sceneries even without all-out waterfalls or lakes (which will probably get their own posts).

I admit I have a thing for those places. When there’s countless amount of smaller steps instead of one large waterfall. Instead of single barrier of stone, a myriad of life in the form of trees, ferns, moss and other nice green things. And because of not having large waterfalls, they are places of relaxations, forgotten by many.

Just me there, alone, with the water bubbling and hissing. The first of those places this year was in the heart of place visited by many each year, but a bit off the main trails. Reaching it from the nearest train station (and nearest village) takes almost 10 kilometers, of which 9 is on asphalt road leading to the dam in the valley. This side valley feeds into it some 500 meters behind the dam (when coming from below) and from what was lazy walk it starts to ascend quickly in dense forest.

And the nice places don’t end when one gets above the forest. More specifically when it is no longer so dense, at the highest peak reaches barely above the forest’s upper edge (peak in 1491 meters ASL, forest starts receding from ~1350 up). It’s places like these with the water flowing freely thought the fern overgrowth that I really enjoy.

While the week-long stay in Slovakia had several waterfalls of varying sizes, I was not willing to overlook places like this. Even there, just a few paces away from the waterfall, the stream creates nice places as it shapes the boulders to its will.

Water will make its way through the valley, and it’s often not gentle process. Yet even the crude parts of nature can be breathtaking, especially if hidden in the woods.

And what we create to cross the stream might not always resist it as much as we’d like.

It can make its way through the rocks.

And looking from above the valley can be breathtaking. Maybe too much for some.

That’s it from me with another look back at some nice places I visited this year. More to come in whatever theme I choose next.