Autumn in the Arboretum near Aubonne, Switzerland

Autumn is here in Switzerland.  Already a country renowned for its natural beauty at any time of year, in autumn Switzerland's forests take on rich reds, golds, yellows and oranges, further enhancing its gorgeous landscape.


Being fortunate enough to live near the Arboretum (http://www.arboretum.ch/) which is a large natural park, I try to get down there now and again for a walk and some photos.  With the fall colors in full swing, the drive to use my camera overcame me recently during a visit from my mother from Canada and we spent several afternoons surrounded by Switzerland at its best...

The area around where I live is thick with vineyards, producing red, rosé and white wines.  Living in wine country has all sorts of benefits.  The diminutive, unassuming and delicious chasselas grape takes on shades of red and brown in addition to its native green when ripe.  It is not used for wine anywhere else on earth than Switzerland, where the climate is perfect for its growth.  The white wine is fruity and sweet, and excellent with cheeses, which of course, are legion in Europe.  The aesthetic benefit of the vineyards is one of intense interest to the photographer, and recently, I took my gear out to nearby Féchy on top of a convenient berm that some enterprising farmer had erected no doubt to prevent flooding from the tiny stream that ran across his property.

Unfortunately, I had to reduce the size substantially to upload it here, so any pixel-peekers out there may find some substantial loss of quality...click to enlarge.