Liechtenstein Wanderweg

A cozy, snowy morning gave way to clear skies when we finally rolled out of the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. When we heard there’s a good chance we may leave months before our PRD, we decided we’d better tag a couple extra counties onto our ski trip. Today’s itinerary had us leaving Germany, driving though the Austrian Alps, crossing into Liechtenstein to wander about its capital city, Vaduz, then spend two nights and one day in Switzerland. None of us had been to Liechtenstein or Switzerland yet!

Here is an issue with our glorious drive though the Alps. We discovered that one of our route-planning apps, Waze, didn’t always recognize major roads in the area and would send us on hours-long roundabout ways to places. No map app is flawless—Google maps is hazardously awful in Hawaii—so we took to double and triple-checking routes before driving.

We’d figured that out the other day driving to Innsbruck, so it was puzzling but not problematic for this drive. Still, the estimated drive times were not at all accurate though—even with above-freezing, clear conditions, it took us much longer than stated.

Isaac wasn’t allowed to use any devices and was mad about it. He said something snarky the severalth time I pointed out a charming church steeple with a dramatic backdrop, so of course after that I had to point out every single steeple to him, coaxing some eye rolls and chuckles out of him. Everyone was a bit grouchy in that discombobulated way you are when dislocated but not heading home.

Anyway, Liechtenstein exceeded expectations in being surprisingly tiny, even for the world’s sixth smallest country. The capital, Vaduz, is pronounced “Va-doots.” Everyone we encountered spoke German and English, and there was interesting sculptural art across the city. Everything was blink-several-times-rapidly expensive. Like a little souvenir flag most places costs a euro, maybe two. In Liechtenstein they were over six Swiss francs, which is more than six dollars, which just seemed bonkers. Repeat for everything.

Apparently Liechtenstein has one of the world’s highest incomes per capita, as well as the world’s highest ratio of olympians per capita.

More facts about Liechtenstein: it’s less than a tenth of the size of Washington D.C., it has nearly 40,000 people, and it has close ties in every way with neighboring Switzerland. Liechtenstein is part of the free movement Schengen Zone and the European Economic Area, but not part of the Euro Zone, European Union or NATO. It has a monarchy and a prince.

Here’s what we did in Liechtenstein: we drove through the countryside, green and pastoral even in February; we got PASSPORT STAMPS in the capital; we admired St. Florian Cathedral; we had teatime; we visited the Treasure Chamber full of Fabergé eggs, paintings, ancient and intricate weaponry, a crown, etc., we wanderwegged up to Schloss Vaduz to view the castle and the valley; we got stamps, stickers and flags at the post office and a souvenir shop. I think wanderweg means hike or route, and it seems like a perfect European way of saying “he went on walkabout” which we say all the time for some reason.

Back to those passport stamps: they’re easy to find! Once in Vaduz, head to the central information center and pay three francs. STAMP! Will that invalidate your passport for future travel? No, it’s officially allowed.

“This is good coffee!” Chris said. For teatime in Liechtenstein, Isaac was STARVING and had pasta (whatever), Chris got a sandwich, Eloise had a mocha eclair, and I had a Swiss almond cake. And of course you can have coffee at teatime. The Swiss hot chocolate was a hit. This teatime cost over $50. It was tasty, but that seemed rather high for the extremely casual setting. Blink blink blink.

Fed and caffeinated, we hiked up to the city symbol: Vaduz Castle, which dates to the 12th century. The sun was lighting up the clouds just as the top of the mountains across the valley. The entire sweeping landscape—vineyards and stone towers, the castle, low clouds rolling across the valley —was enough to make me hope I come back sometime.

“Oh man, we’re out of time but I’d heard you could walk across some pedestrian bridge where you can be in Switzerland and Liechtenstein at the same ti—THERE IT IS!!! PULL OVER OH MY GOSH WHO WANTS TO GO TO SWITZERLAND WITH ME REALLY QUICK?!”

NOBODY. Nobody came with me. Suckers! I went to Switzerland my myself before anyone else in my family, and I waved at them from another country on the other side of the Rhine River (they weren’t even looking), then sidestepped the livestock road apples on the bridge when I ran back so we could all drive to Switzerland.

The sun set while we were still driving. The mountaintops supported a wooly blanket of clouds while lights glimmered on the far side of the alpine lake in the gloaming. Rocky outcroppings held illuminated castles. We passed Zurich and it was fully, solidly dark when we arrived in Lucerne. Only then did it begin to snow again.