Hiking Across Liechtenstein

Hiking probably isn't the word I should use... walking. Walking across Liechtenstein.

A few years ago, a girl I knew over here walked across the country of Liechtenstein. The idea itself is interesting, and the pictures she had were beautiful. The idea planted itself inside my head, took root, and it has been growing steadily since. I have been thinking of going to Liechtenstein for a long time now, but I needed a long weekend to do it (because it is a longer drive to get there). Hello Memorial Day 2014.

Liechtenstein is a small country located between Austria and Switzerland. By small, I mean our walk "across" the country was about eight kilometers. Josh, his friend Todd, and I took Friday off to leave for Liechtenstein. Google maps told me it would be about a five hour drive. With construction, stopping for gas, stopping for the bathroom, and traffic it was about six and a half hours. I was excited because Todd was driving, which meant I (for once) got to have a relaxing drive where I didn't have to help drive or navigate and could simply read my book. I was a happy camper. We were staying on the Austrian border of Liechtenstein, and our drive into Austria was beautiful. The sun was shining against the mountains, which still had a bit of snow on top. Ohhhh mountains. My soul misses you. I found us an apartment for the weekend, and it turned out to be perfect for us.

Saturday morning we got started bright and early heading into the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. I wanted to get some information about walking/hiking trails and a map. I wasn't sure what the border between Austria and Liechtenstein would be like. There is still a border control area, but there was nobody there checking any passports or anything (like most places in Europe). It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was ready to get my map and get out walking. We parked Todd's car, and while the boys were getting a map and figuring out where to go, I snapped some pictures of "downtown" Vaduz (I use quotations because it was this quaint, tiny little area with virtually no one around).

We decided to first hike up to Schloss Vaduz - or the Vaduz Castle. The Prince of Liechtenstein lives in the castle, so it is closed to the public. As we followed the map and signs, we were surprised to find the path to the castle led us up behind businesses and houses. Throughout the weekend we got the impression the locals are used to having random strangers wandering through their backyards.

After we saw the castle, we looked at the map and the signs, and decided to head up the mountain. We weren't sure where we were going, but it was a beautiful hike - in this area I can say hike as it was a steady uphill, winding path we followed. After about an hour and a half of hiking, we stumbled upon castle ruins, which the map called "Wild Schloss." There was a picnic table set out by the castle, and we decided to take a break and eat our packed lunch.

We decided to take a fork in the path and head back down towards some of the smaller towns. Uh... here. Enjoy more pictures of how breath-taking Liechtenstein is.

We wandered our way into a small town, and the boys wanted to find a place to have a beer - which we found in short order. We weren't the only people sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. Many outdoor cafes were full of people. After the boys enjoyed their beverages, we made our way back to the car (another town over - about a three kilometer walk) and went home for the evening. We were exhausted!

The next morning I was ready to get going and meet my goal - to walk across the country of Liechtenstein. We picked a path to go from Austria across Liechtenstein to Switzerland - a path of about eight kilometers. Liechtenstein has many wonderful walking and cycling paths - most of them paved. This is why I say we walked, not hiked, across the country. We were blessed with another sunny, beautiful day. Our walk led us through a few small towns, fields, and across the Rhein river.

Seriously, how beautiful is this?? Incredible.

After we made it across Liechtenstein we went back to the car, and Todd announced he was done walking/hiking. This was okay with me, I was pooped. We drove up to look at some of the higher altitude towns. This will sound incredibly lazy, but I'm glad we drove instead of hiking up there. The pathways were well maintained, and in most places were paved, but it was incredibly steep. But WOW what a view. My favorite was when it seemed like we were on the top of the mountain looking down into the valley. We also went through a tunnel to the other side of the mountain, where there were some beautiful mountain chalets.

As you can see, this post is full of pictures and lacking on words. I think it is better this way. Liechtenstein is incredibly beautiful, and we lucked into some wonderful sunny weather. I am so glad I was able to get to Liechtenstein and full-fill my dream of walking across the country.

Rhein in Flames - Bonn

We went to the Rhein in Flames in Bonn at the beginning of May... but it has taken me awhile to get around to talking about it. My blog was suppose to be more interesting... After our Easter parade I had to work, but the weekend following my working we were suppose to go to Augsburg and explore the middle section of the Romantic Road (the stretch we didn't see in January). But, our kitty got sick, and I didn't want to leave him unattended for a weekend while he recooperated. I am glad to say the kitty is now back to his normal self. I am bummed we missed out on a trip, but at the same time, I am okay with it too. Priorities. My priority was my cat. After our flubbed travel weekend, we had signed up to go see the Rhein in Flames at Bonn through base (more on that in a second)...  Then I went to a dental conference. Then I worked some more. So. I've been meaning to share for awhile now... just... other priorities such as being lazy and watching movies.

A friend of mine went on a Rhein in Flames river cruise last year and had a lot of good things to say about it. We went on a Rhein river cruise with my parents when they came to visit a few years ago and enjoyed it. The Rhein in Flames is an event which occurs multiple times in different areas throughout the spring/summer along the Rhein River. Villages will light up in red as if they are "aflame" and there are different celebrations and fireworks displays in villages along the river, followed by one large fireworks display in the main city (the "host" city - for us it was Bonn). My friend had done the river cruise through base and said it was convenient, so we used a base trip. Bonn is the first Rhein in Flames event of he year. We met on base in the later afternoon and rode a bus two hours north to Bonn. We were given "free time," but our free time was under an hour. We haven't been to Bonn, but this wasn't enough time to explore the city. Instead we killed 45 minutes walking along the river edge. It was a beautiful day.

After our walk we met back with our tour group to board our boat. Our boat was full of many groups - there were signs in the lobby of the boat directing you to which area your group was sitting. We sat at a table with a husband and wife who are civilians working at our base, and their daughter and her fiance were visiting. The boat got started up the river and we were served dinner. Our dinner was carrot soup, chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. After dinner, we went out on deck to find a place to sit near the railing. It seemed everyone else had this idea too, because the deck quickly became crowded. We were lucky and got there right before the crowd, so we had chairs to sit. The sun was starting to set, which made for beautiful scenery as we cruised up the river. We passed by villages next to the river, and there were crowds gathering along the riverbanks. Our boat made it to the stopping point - we were one of about 50 boats. It was interesting to see so many boats so close together on the river - I'm sure watching the boats move down the river together from the river bank is a sight.

By this time it was almost dark, and the lead boat started the cruise down the river. We slowly passed by the villages we had gone by earlier. Now, as it got darker, some of the bigger structures in the villages (such as the churches or bridges) were lit up with red lights. As we would approach the villages, fireworks would start. I had thought our boat would either drive slowly down the river, or that it would stop at each village. But, it didn't. So instead of seeing continuous firework displays, we would only see a few fireworks here or there. As the boat went on, the crowd on the deck got smaller. It was early May, and although it had been a pretty day, it was cold out on the deck. I had worn pants and had on a jacket, gloves, and a hat and I was still a bit too cold. But despite the cold, Josh and I had a fun evening sitting relatively alone watching the villages slip by.

About an hour and a half later, we made it to Bonn. All of the boats clustered together again for the main fireworks display. The fireworks show was really neat, and lasted about a half hour. After it was done, our boat returned to the dock, we got back on our bus, and went back to base. We got home very late that night - around  3 AM - so the next day was a lazy day for us. We enjoyed our Rhein in Flames evening. Despite the cold, it was interesting to see. I think I enjoyed the Rhein cruise we did with my parents better as we were able to see more, but I'm glad we had a chance to experience this event as well.