EUROPE TRIP ‘19 - LITTLE LIECHTENSTEIN — Wandering Wolfs Travel & Photography

Liechtenstein

I have to start this post with a bit of a confession. Before we started planning this trip, I did not know about Liechtenstein at all.

Liechtenstein is a small (6th smallest in the world) country nestled between Switzerland and Austria. Its total size is 160 square kilometer, and what it lacked in size, it made up for in charm and beauty. We will be spending the next 48 hours here…

Most of the time we chose the more scenic route, rather than just getting to our next destination. This meant we drove quite a few mountain passes and smaller back roads.

During my teen years, my dad used to own a few Subarus. I learned to drive in his STI, and since then had a soft spot for a Scoobie. Anyone who has ever driven a WRX would know, that with its all-wheel drive, and boxer engine it was made for twist and turns.

With the abundance of scoobies on these crinkly and twisty roads, we were sure this had to be Subaru’s best-selling region.

Malbun

We entered Liechtenstein close to Vaduz and then went through another two towns (Triesenberg & Steg) before we reached Malbun. Between Vaduz and Malbun is only 14km, but you start in Vaduz at an elevation of 455m and end in Malbun at 1600m. The road reminded me of a rally stage with all the hairpin turns, and once again longing for my dad’s STI.

Being from SA and living in the UAE, we have never really seen snow before. As we were driving closer to our next good night’s rest, I got more and more excited as the snowcapped mountains came closer and started wrapping around us.

We ended up in Malbun, which I think is mostly a little ski town. Due to the fact that we choose to go on vacation out of season, this little town was kind of deserted. The landscape looked like a dalmatian with its spots of melting snow. Birds, squirrels, and hyraxes were out and about while chatting away.

The room in Hotel Turna was cozy and spacious. The hotel had some of the best linen and felt like we were sleeping inside a marshmallow. Although there was some variety at breakfast, we rather dug into the cold meat and freshly baked croissants.

Vögeli Restaurant

As I mentioned earlier, the town was on a bit of a slow go. This meant that we had only one open Restaurant, Vögeli. It looked and felt like your regular family restaurant, where Christmas never leaves. Here T had his best meal and I had my weirdest meal.

During the past few days, I had mostly eaten fried food and welcomed the idea of a veal curry. What I did not realize was, was the fact that they topped the curry with fruit salad and then baked it in the oven. To me, that was the most bizarre thing ever! Fruit ought to be eaten col, not hot. I dug out the veal from under the hot watermelon, kiwi, orange, banana, peach, and even blueberries, as there was no way in hell, I was going to eat hot fruit. Although I did not eat the fruit, I was pleasantly surprised with the curry as the fruit gave it a sweet chutney like taste.

Next day, more or less the same time and place, we were back. They had 2 types of ribs (with and without marinade). We had to go half-half, so we could try both. I haven’t seen my husband enjoy a meal as much as that evening with that ribs in a long time.

The cherry on top at Vögeli was, of course, the ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

Vaduz

Sunday morning after breakfast, we took the bus down to the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. We were the only people on the bus. According to our bus driver, there was no bus fee for that day, which meant we traveled the whole day for free.

Since we arrived too early and, on a Sunday, there were little to do.

Being on foot gives you the opportunity to see things you’re normally wouldn’t. Vaduz was no different. We got to see some of the art and sculptures that’s scattered all over the city.

Liechtenstein has no official border post and thus this will be lesser know passport stamp. You can, however, get a passport stamp when paying a small fee at the tourist information centre.

After our little walking tour of the city, getting our passports stamped, and a picnic on a bridge while waiting for a time-lapse, we decided to head back. Next time we would definitely like to spend more time in Vaduz as I think we missed out on quite a bit.

Triesenberg

On our way back to Malbun, we decided to stop at Triesenberg and look for lunch. Not knowing that we would walk into some sort of celebration or festival. It’s only after we got back home that we discovered what the celebration was all about.

It was the opening of the “Liechtenstein – Weg” which is a 75km walking trail through the whole of Liechtenstein. More info is available on their website.

An orchestra entertained us, while we had buckwurst for lunch with our new favorite drink (some kind of apple juice spritz).

If or when we go back to Liechtenstein, we will most probably stay in Triesenberg. It’s a charming little town, halfway up the mountain, overlooking Vaduz, and close enough to the snowy peaks of Malbun. They are so hospitable, they even have a hotel for bugs & insects, that I adored.