How It Started
Woke up last Tuesday thinking man, I’ve never seen a whole country in one day. Checked my bucket list – Liechtenstein was just sitting there between “learn pottery” and “eat live octopus”. Grabbed my worn-out backpack, googled “how not to annoy Liechtensteiners”, and hopped on a train from Zurich. Total journey? Two hours with weirdly punctual Swiss trains and one border guard who just waved me through while chewing gum.
The Capital Hustle
Got to Vaduz starving. Saw this sausage stand by the cathedral – dude grilled me Bratwurst while telling me Prince Alois lives right up the hill in that castle. Ate staring at Vaduz Castle like it owed me money. Couldn’t go in cause royalty lives there, but took 37 identical photos anyway. Tourist center gave me this potato stamp passport thing – pressed it onto real passport like a kid with glitter glue.
Mountain Madness
Took a bus into Malbun valley. Rented clown-sized hiking boots that gave me instant blisters. Trail signs showed some eagle route – sounded cool till it turned into vertical rock face with rusty chains. Climbed sweating buckets thinking yeah this is how tourists die. Reached the top gulping thin air… and holy crap. Saw Austria, Switzerland, and like ten cows in one view. Worth almost dying.
Stamps & Souvenirs
Stumbled into Vaduz Post Museum later. Felt like Bilbo finding Smaug’s treasure but with stamps. Ancient ladies were geeking out over rare ones while I bought flower stamps for €4. Sent Grandma postcard she’ll get next year probably. Downtown shops sold “Made in Liechtenstein” knives – picked one up thinking cool until I saw €200 price tag. Put it back slow.
Final Thoughts
Sat by Rhein River drinking local beer as sun dipped below Alps. Realized this country fits inside London’s metro system but has its own royalty and ski resorts. Place is tiny but stubborn – like that last Pringle in the can. Saw it all in 9 hours flat. Legs still ache from that stupid eagle hike, but passport stamp is fire. Would go back just to see if Prince Alois ever changes those castle curtains.
