Country #39

Country #39 - Liechtenstein

The Quaint Country

I had a very early morning this morning as my train left Zurich, Switzerland at 6:30am. Special thanks to Hotel Kindli for making my morning much better than it might have been - they allowed me to have an early breakfast in the lovely dining room! I was also able to secure two witnesses and spend time talking with them. The breakfast was a super helpful start to my day and I really appreciate them having it ready so early, along with providing incredible accommodations throughout my stay!

The walk to the train station took about ten minutes and I found my train with a few minutes to spare. The train ride itself was breathtaking - the train rode along Lake Zurich for almost an hour. I arrived in Sargans where I then had to transfer and take a bus to Liechtenstein. It was a quick transfer (about five minutes) but luckily the busses sat just beside the train platforms.

The bus ride took about twenty minutes and was through gorgeous Swiss countryside. I arrived in the heart of tiny Liechtenstein at 8am. I had an hour to kill before the tourist center would open and I could get a passport stamp from them. I walked through literally the entire town. I took pictures in front of the Liechtenstein National Archives building, walked to the beautiful Vaduz Cathedral, appreciated the art installations in the town, marveled at the Castle Vaduz that sits above the city (and is currently occupied by the Prince of Liechtenstein), and just enjoyed the stunning countryside that surrounds Liechtenstein. Afterwards, I still had about twenty minutes to kill so I just sat and waited outside of the tourism center.

Once they opened I met Moris, who was so cool and I really enjoyed talking with. He has traveled a lot and is moving to Brooklyn soon! I purchased a few small souvenirs and got my passport stamp and still had thirty minutes to kill. I talked some more with Moris, sitting in the comfy chair on the porch of the cute tourism center. After a bit longer I headed back to the bus stop to go back to the train station. I barely missed the first train back to Zurich (by like ten seconds) but luckily the next one left only three minutes later.

Liechtenstein was so tiny but I had a nice two hours in the city. It would be okay for a day trip but definitely not more. Everyone that I met was very kind and it was definitely a unique place to see. It was very beautiful as it was surrounded by the mountainous Swiss landscape. It was definitely a unique stop on my trip for sure. My next stop is another tiny one - I’m headed to Monaco!

39 countries down, 157 to go.