Tag Archives: drin

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Kosovo, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Forest, White Drin River

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Forest, Whie Drin River
“Forest, White Drin River” — A person stands next to the White Drin River under a forest canopy, Kosovo.

The White Drin is a branch of the Drin River that drains Kosovo and parts of Albania — this portion begins in the mountains along the western side of Kosovo. Some regard a waterfall a bit further up the river from here as its source. This scene is along the popular walking route to that fall.

While many of my landscape photographs exclude people, it seems appropriate to include one (and more, if you look closely) here. This location, not far from the town of Peja (or Pec) is extremely popular. The place was crowded when we visited, with families walking the route and in places trailside vendors.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Kosovo, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

White Drin Waterfall

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White Drin Waterfall, Kosovo
“White Drin Waterfall” — The White Drin Waterfall , near Peja, Kosovo.

For this American, used to spending time in our national parks and in our wilderness areas, my visit to this place was a bit of a culture shock. This waterfall and a nearby cave complex are part of a “natural monument” in Kosovo, at the village of Radac a few miles west of Peja, Kosovo. Much to my surprise, the crowds here were absolutely huge. The first challenge was finding a place to park, and it turned out to be almost impossible. It seemed like everyone in Kosovo was walking this trail — families, foreign visitors, you name it. Booths along the trail sold food, drink, and trinkets.

On one hand, this was not exactly a wilderness experience. On the other hand… people clearly love this place. And it is quite beautiful. The river flowing below this waterfall is full of picturesque boulders, and lush trees overhang the water. My understanding is that this waterfall is regarded to be the source of the White Drin River, which flows from here into Albania.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Kosovo, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Kosovo Forest

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Kosovo Forest
“Kosovo Forest” — Dense forest scene in Kosovo woods near the White Drin waterfall.

Although much of our 2023 summer travel was to relatively popular areas of Southern Europe, we had the good fortune to break able to venture off that track a bit. A highlight was four days in Kosovo, a place I probably would not have thought to visit — except that someone in the extended family was brought up there and has family living in the country. So during the final two weeks of our trip, a time devoted to getting together with relatives, we spent four days in Kosovo, staying in the home of our family member, who took us to a bunch of fascinating places that we otherwise wouldn’t have known about. This photograph comes from one such place, along the river leading to the “White Drin Waterfall.”

I did not have many opportunities to do landscape photography on this trip — we mostly visited cities, I was carrying equipment intended for street and travel photography, and I couldn’t impose on my traveling partners in the ways that landscape photographers usually do. But I did have a few opportunities, including this one. Behind me was a very busy trail, crowded with people walking to the waterfall and the “Sleeping Beauty Cave.” But I pointed the camera the other way and photographed the lovely, soft light in this dense forest.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.