Tom Dempsey's favorite photos of the Alps of Europe include Switzerland (Matterhorn, Berner Oberland, Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Bernina Range, Engadine), France (Chamonix, Mont Blanc), Italy (Dolomites), Slovenia (Julian Alps, Lake Bled), architecture with sgraffito, churches, flowers, hikers, cows, horses, ducks, dramatic sunrise & sunset.

Favorite photos of Switzerland include - Berner Oberland (Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau, Männlichen Gipfel, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Kleine Scheidegg) - Valais / Wallis canton (Haute Route / High Route, Zermatt, Matterhorn, Verbier, Lac Louvie, Arolla Valley, Val d'Hérens, Fiesch, Eggishorn, Aletsch Glacier) - Engadine (Bernina Range, architecture with sgraffiti) - Appenzell - Schaffhausen canton (Rhine Falls, Stein am Rhein) Images include mountains, glaciers, flowers, hikers, ibex, rock cairns, trains, churches, cows, Swiss flag and more.

View favorite Italy photos by Tom Dempsey, including: Venice, Saint Mark's Square (San Marco Piazza), Rialto, gondolas, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Dolomites mountains, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Sesto Group, Val Gardena, Val di Funes, Puez-Geisler (Odle) Park, Brenta Group, Marmolada, Passo Pordoi, Sella Group, Bindelweg/Viel del Pan trail, Rosengarten/Catinaccio Group, Bolzano's Iceman (Ötzi), Pala Group/Pale di San Martino, Monte Civetta, Monte Cristallo, waterfalls, and more.

View favorite Slovenia photos by Tom Dempsey, including: the Julian Alps, Lake Bled (Blejsko jezero), Bled Castle, Vintgar Gorge, Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Triglav National Park (Triglavski narodni park/TNP), Pericnik Waterfall, Vrata and Krma valleys, Vintgar Gorge, Tolmin gorges (Tolminska korita), Veliki Kozjak Waterfall, Predjama Castle.

Walk through amazing scenery and feel Old World charm along the Haute Route (or High Route), 180 kilometers from Mont Blanc (Chamonix, France) to the Matterhorn (Zermatt, Switzerland). Photos along the way include ibex, Aiguille du Midi cable car, village scenes, Arolla Valley, Glacier du Trient, Fenêtre d'Arpette pass, Evolène, Val d'Hérens, Valais (Wallis or Valley) canton of Switzerland, hotel food.

Photos of the Berner Oberland in Switzerland include: Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Männlichen Gipfel, Kleine Scheidegg, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Staubbach Falls, churches, hikers, flowers, moths, cows. How to get there: From Zurich's downtown train station, ride 4 hours to Interlaken, in the Canton of Berne. From Interlaken, board a train to wide Grindelwald Valley or deep Lauterbrunnen Valley. Nearby in Valais, see the quieter Loetschental valley including an odd two-color goat.

The En or Inn River flows through the Swiss valley of Engadine (Engadin in German or Engiadina in Romansh). Don't miss hiking along the Morteratsch Glacier in the impressive Bernina Range. Explore sgraffiti-covered houses in the preserved village of Guarda.

View Tom Dempsey's photos near the Sesto Group and the ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites (Dolomiti) mountain range, Italy, Europe. Wander streets of Cortina by day and night. Walk the loop around Tre Cime di Lavaredo ("Three Peaks of Lavaredo," also called Drei Zinnen or "Three Merlons" in German), with views of Cadini di Misurina sharp peaks. See Lake Misurina along the road to get there. A lift to Tofana di Mezzo ascends the third highest peak in the Dolomites. Another lift to Forcella Staunies on Monte Cristallo gives unforgettable views over Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d’Ampezzo and beyond. Walk historic World War I trails and bunkers around Cinque Torri in the Dolomiti Ampezzane. Hike scenic Passo di Giau and see sunset/sunrise. World War I divided the Euroregion of Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, but today Italy and Austria share this culturally independent area. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

View Tom Dempsey's photos from the region of Corvara in Badia, a mountain ski resort in the Dolomites (Dolomiti) mountain range, in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base. For our favorite hike in the Dolomites, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes/Villnöss, then walk 12 miles via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles to beautiful Vallunga, finishing where you started. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles), including the deeply glaciated U-shaped valley of Vallunga (Langental). Explore nearby Val di Funes (Villnöß valley) with its onion-domed Church of St. Johann in Ranui under stunning peaks of Geisler/Odle Group. Relax in the Alps town of Kastelruth/Castelrotto. After Austria lost World War I, its South Tirol (Südtirol) became Italy's Alto Adige, where mostly German is spoken, plus Italian and a small minority of native Ladin, from Vulgar Latin. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

Among the most striking of the Dolomites is the Pala Group (Italian: Pale di San Martino, Dolomiti delle Pale, or Gruppo delle Pale). Rising majestically above Passo Rolle, the sharp pyramid of Cimon della Pala (or Cimone, 3184 m/10,446 ft) is known as the Matterhorn of the Dolomites (il Cervino delle Dolomiti). Visit the mountain resort of San Martino di Castrozza, in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy, Europe. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

Many spectacular hikes surround Passo Pordoi (or Pordoijoch, the highest paved pass road in Dolomites), at the top of Val di Fassa, on the border between the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region and the Veneto region, in Italy, Europe. We enjoyed a wonderful apartment at Hotel Gonzaga, where a pond reflects Langkofel/Sassolungo Group. On the Padon chain, hike the wondrous Bindelweg/Viel del Pan trail, directly across from glacier-clad Marmolada (3343 meters/10,968 feet, highest of the Dolomites). Lake Fedaia reflects peaks nicely. A lift to Sass Pordoi on the Sella Group gives another great perspective. From Malga Ciapela village, take my favorite Dolomites lift: to the top of Marmolada above the biggest (and only skiable) glacier in the Dolomiti. A World War I museum describes the amazing City of Ice (Die Eisstadt, 1917), where Austrian soldiers inside the Marmolada Glacier built quarters in tunnels extending 12 kilometers. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites (Dolomiti) within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

Monte Civetta (3220 meters or 10,564 feet) rises high above hiker trails accessible via lift from Alleghe resort village, in the Dolomites, Belluno province, Veneto region, Italy, Europe. Also admire or hike around Monte Pelmo (3169 meters or 10,397 feet) to the northeast. Monte Cernera rises above Santa Fosca/Pescul village on the way to Monte Pelmo along a scenic back road, Strada Statale 251. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites (Dolomiti) within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

The Brenta Group (Italian: Dolomiti di Brenta) is a subrange of the Rhaetian Alps in the Southern Limestone Alps, in Italy, Europe. Because they are the only dolomitic group west of river Adige, the Brenta Dolomites are sometimes called the Western Dolomites. From the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy, the Passo Groste lift takes you directly into the Brenta Dolomites to enjoy scenic mountain hiking trails. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

The Rosengarten/Catinaccio Group is an impressive mountain massif in the Dolomites, in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy, Europe. A visit to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (near vibrant Walther Square) in Bolzano lets you see an evocative reconstruction of the 5000-year-old Iceman (Ötzi) plus his actual frozen mummy. From Pera di Fassa village (in Pozza di Fassa comune) in Val di Fassa, we took a bus to stay in Rifugio Gardeccia Hutte (also accessible by lift plus 45 minute walk) situated in a spectacular natural amphitheater, where we hiked to inner reaches of the Rosengarten/Catinaccio Group. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.

View Tom Dempsey's Slovenia photo collection Part 1, including: the Julian Alps, Lake Bled (Blejsko jezero) reflections and Pletna boats, Bled Castle, Triglav National Park (Triglavski narodni park/TNP), Pericnik Waterfall, Vrata and Krma valleys, Vintgar Gorge, Tolmin gorges (Tolminska korita), Soca Trail (Soska pot) along Soca River gorge, Kluze Fortress, Boka waterfall, Veliki Kozjak Waterfall, and Predjama Castle.