This is a special summer. To be able to travel to far destinations for pure pleasure and discovery has been restricted to us due to a “Global health threat” a.k.a Coronavirus. As a passionate traveler, this year has been quite hard for me to digest. No nice beaches to visit; no exotic cities; no trendy natural sceneries to dream from like visiting la Patagonia or Machu Picchu. So this time, I had to conform to explore my neighborhood here in Switzerland and actually, I was positively surprised of what I found.
Two hours away from where I live, there is quite a peculiar place: Flims. Actually, the region is better known as the three next by villages together: Flims-Laax-Falera. Probably you haven´t heard from this place if you are not so familiar with Switzerland. Even me living here for quite some years barely heard of this place. But Oh My- Oh-My what have I been missing.
The first stop has to be the infamous Caumasee. The beauty of this place is simply breathtaking:
Lake of Caumasee “Lag la Cauma”, Grisons Switzerland
What is amazing about this lake is that the water comes from underground sources. As the volume of the water is quite low, the water starts to get warm already in the early days of April; so unlike other lakes in Switzerland, this one is particularly good for taking a refreshing swimming, since the tempetarure of the water can get up to 24 degrees already by July. You can also hike on the surroundings of the lake, which is filled by a beautiful and abundant forest, which used to be part of the big rockslide of the Alps which happened about 10,000 years ago.
Another interesting spot to visit is the platform called “il Spir”, which gives you a fantastic view to the “Little Grand Swiss Canyon” (i.e. The Rhine Gorge). It is a truly magnificent spot to visit, an a quite unique view from the Alps, that is not so typical of Switzerland.
View of the “Little Grand Swiss Canyon” (The Rhine Gorge) from the platform “Il Spir” near Flims,Switzerland
You can swim on the river or practice some other aquatic sports like rafting and canyoning. This splendid view you can get by driving to the Cresta Lake near Flims and hike all the way up to the Il Spir platform. It is a two hour hike (ca. 3 km) and quite easy to do.
The Cresta lake itself its worth a visit and a swim too!
Cresta Lake, Flims Switzerland
If you love hiking, this region offers a lot of other possibilities. There are more than 250km of Hiking trails for experienced hikers or also for starters.
Luckily there are also plenty of nice restaurants too.
What about some nice Pancakes to start your morning?
Good old Pancakes breakfast!
For the nighouters, there are some cool bars too 🙂
Cheers!
After all, taking the time to explore the surroundings of where I live has not been so bad.
It´s easy to get upset about our current situation. The world is not what it used to be some months ago. For us travelers, it has been quite a challenge to stay motivated and keep dreaming and planning on our next destinations. But this is a post about hope. This is a little breeze of fresh air to remind us that wherever we are, we can open our eyes to the beauty of our own surroundings.
In every country, in every city, there are gems hidden, waiting to be discovered.
Have you discovered your own personal gem where you live?
Hiking in Laax
Comments