Indian summer is finally over here in Switzerland. The first days of autumn have been mild and beautiful, with very pleasant temperatures during the day and blue skies most of the time. The beginning of this season has been so soft that even the trees haven’t felt it. The colors are changing as slowly as the temperature is falling. I’ve been so eager to see the golden season that I’ve been visiting some of the best locations even before the explosion of colors begins… Fortunately for me, it doesn’t matter that much. Those locations are still gorgeous in their green tones.

This post is about one of those places. I’ve been wanting to explore the area of Flims, in Canton Graubunden, since I arrived to Switzerland. There are three spots there that caught my interest since my first days in this country. Two lakes, with water so clear and turquoise that look unreal, and the Swiss version of the Gran Canyon: the Ruinaulta, the Rhine gorge.

I went to this area a few days ago. The first stop on my hiking route was Caumasee, or Lag la Cauma in Romansch language (one of the official languages of Switzerland), which means “lake siesta” or “lake Calm”… with this name, you can imagine how idyllic this lake is: turquoise water surrounded by a beautiful deep forest, this lake is a popular destination for families in summer. Even if I went there in autumn, there were people swimming in its quiet waters. And I can’t blame them! The place looks incredibly beautiful and, apparently, the water is not very cold… and it’s so peaceful!!

After walking around the beautiful Caumasee, an easy path took me to the second spot I wanted to visit that day. Not far from the lake, across the forest, I reached the cliffs at one side of the Rhine canyon. From there, the path continued along the cliff, and I could enjoy through the trees the views of the impressive white canyon and its peculiar formations and the turquoise waters of the Rhine river running at the bottom of the canyon. What a view!! I even saw a chamois, a goat-antelope native from the Alps, going down the steep walls of the canyon.

After these two gorgeous places, another path across a forest full of mushrooms took me to the stunning lake Crestasee. This one really impressed me. Here, the autumnal colors were blooming, and they made a gorgeous contrast with the blue-green waters of the lake, which are incredibly transparent! This lake looked like out of a fairy tail!

I loved the two lakes I saw on this trip. Now I’m dreaming with visiting these places with fresh snow covering all the landscape…. Maybe with frozen lakes too? In the meantime, while I wait for the winter cold to come and change all the landscape in the mountains, here are some photos of this beautiful area with golden autumnal tones… I hope you like them! 🙂

Caumasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 70mm f/11 1/50sec. ISO250
Caumasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 28mm f/11 1/200sec. ISO100
Caumasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 39mm f/11 1/500sec. ISO100
The Rhine Canyon (Ruinaulta). Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/160sec. ISO100
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 45mm f/11 1/50sec. ISO250
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/50sec. ISO250
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/80sec. ISO100
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 42mm f/11 1/200sec. ISO100
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 24mm f/5 1/2000sec. ISO100
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/200sec. ISO250
Crestasee. Canon EOS 5d Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/200sec. ISO100

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