Legend tells that in the year 968, a knight was out hunting deer in the forests of Rammelsberg, a peak in the Harz Mountains. Stopping for a rest, he tied his horse to a tree. Restless, the horse pawed at the ground, unearthing a rich vein of silver. Thus began over a thousand years of mining history at the Rammelsberg Mine – or so Continue reading Touring the Historic Rammelsberg Mine
Category Archives: Caves & Mines
Inside France’s Mer de Glace Glacier
Have you ever seen a glacier up close? Hiked along one, touched it, or possibly hazarded a crossing? If so, you’ll know they’re powerful forces of nature, hulking masses of snow and ice, creeping downhill so imperceptibly they could easily be mistaken for sleeping giants. Continue reading Inside France’s Mer de Glace Glacier
Descending into the Turda Salt Mine
If you didn’t know where to find the entrance to Turda Salt Mine, you’d likely drive right past it. Capped above ground by a modern glass and steel dome next to a huge parking area, surrounded by small hills dotted with marshy salt ponds, not much about the place indicates that this building might be anything more than an ordinary Continue reading Descending into the Turda Salt Mine
Trümmelbach Falls: Subterranean, Glacial, Unforgettable
As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.
John Muir
Continue reading Trümmelbach Falls: Subterranean, Glacial, Unforgettable
The Unexpected Cave Hermitage Of Tosantos
Everyone who knows my mom knows that she’s perpetually late because she’s incapable of going from point A to Z. Instead, she stops at points B through Y in between. Even if her final destination is point B, she’ll still visit points C-Z if they’re mildly interesting before looping back to B. Sights that fall into this “mildly Continue reading The Unexpected Cave Hermitage Of Tosantos
St. Beatus vs the Dragon
After several weeks of pretty spectacular sunny weather in our little Swiss valley, we knew our luck couldn’t hold out. But we were still bummed when the sun fled with the arrival of our weekend, bearing gloomy gray skies and rain. It was our roommate, Gintare’s, birthday weekend, and her husband had flown in from Lithuania to spend a Continue reading St. Beatus vs the Dragon