Liechtenstein

Pam and I had talked about visiting Liechtenstein since we first arrive, but we never made it -- until now!  Honestly, there was not much to see.  The country is only slightly bigger than Manhattan, but it actually feels smaller because two thirds is covered by mountains.  The country is 5km wide and about 30km long.  The Rhine River plain that runs along the western border is really the only inhabitable area.  

We took a bus from the Swiss city of Sargans to the capital of Vaduz (no border control).  The bus ride itself basically took us through the southern half of the country.  We did not see much of interest except a quaint castle in the village of Blazers.  So, we decided to spend more time exploring Vaduz.   After the obligatory visit to the post office, where we bought some souvenir postage stamps and mailed several post cards, we walked to the Vaduz Castle (a.k.a. Schloss Vaduz).  

The castle looms over the capital from the hill above, although it is closed to the public because the royal family is still living there (Liechtenstein is a monarchy).  The views from the castle were worth the climb, but we didn't stay long.  We were hungry, so after a few pictures, we walked back down to the city for lunch.  I discovered a delightful beer from the Liechtensteiner Brauhaus, which proudly displayed the logo: "Eins Land, Eins Bier."  Pretty cool.  Doubt I'll be able to find that beer back in New York!

After lunch, we got back on the bus and headed north toward the villages of Schaan, Nendeln, and Schellenberg.  Nothing compelled us to get off the bus at those places, so we just stayed in our seats until we crossed the border into Austria.  When we finally got off the bus in Feldkirch, it was official: we had stepped foot in all five countries bordering Switzerland -- Italy, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria.  We walked around Feldkirch for a little bit and stumbled across a street fair, where I enjoyed some fried dough before we got back on the train and headed back home.  See slide show from the day.

Videos:

Schloss Vaduz

Austria!!