A few days ago was our wedding anniversary, and it has already become a tradition to make a trip to celebrate it. And I love it! A long weekend far from home, exploring a new place, eating great food and relaxing… Is there any better way to celebrate great occasions? Last year we went to Zermatt, where we spent a long weekend hiking and relaxing in our hotel’s spa… They were amazing days (you can see the photos from that trip here, here and here). This year, we wanted to do something as special as last year. It was difficult to find a place as special as Zermatt and the mighty Matterhorn, but finally we did it: Vals!

Vals is a remote valley and town in the mountainous canton Graubünden (also known as canton of Grisons), in the region of Surselva. I think it can be considered a hidden gem. Even if it has a few ski slopes, the valley is mostly known for its mineral water (Valser mineral water) and its impressive thermal baths (a gorgeous architectonic masterpiece, you can have a look here as, unfortunately, photos inside the thermal baths are not allowed), which attracts almost all of the tourists that visit Vals. Otherwise, we hardly found any other tourists there. I really loved the rural and quiet atmosphere of Vals.

We dedicated our first day in Vals to explore the area around Vals’ reservoir, Zervreilasee (1862m). I’m not as fit as I was a year ago and I didn’t want to get tired the first of three days of hiking, so we took it easy the first day. The landscape was gorgeous: blue skies, shades of deep green covering the slopes of the surrounding mountains, the grey peaks with patches of snow shining under the sun, the sound of the cow bells accompanying us during our walk and thousands of small butterflies flying around us… But the weather in the mountain changes fast, and clouds covered the sky and it started to drizzle, adding a bit of drama to the landscape. We came back to Vals and went to the 7132 therme to end the day in the most relaxing way: in a warm outdoor swimming pool with magnificent views of the Swiss Alps…

Here are some photos I took during our first day in Vals. It felt so good to be back in the mountains!!

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