Where, do you say is Liechtenstein? Well, it’s a tiny little country of 62 square kilometers nested between Austria and Switzerland. It is the most charming, prettiest, and friendliest little country I’ve ever visited! We said goodbye to the Bavarian Alps and drove 2 hours crossing back into Austria and then into Switzerland briefly before arriving at the Rhein (Rhine) River. This mighty river is in its infancy at the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Over the river we found ourselves in Vaduz, the capital city. Truthfully it’s more like a town than a city. The entire population of Liechtenstein is only about 40,000 people spread over 9 villages. Liechtensteiners are very proud of their independence and culture. They are also very devoted to their Prince. Henri Adam is the 75 yr. old prince of Liechtenstein and his son Alois is 50. Prince Henri has several other children and grandchildren. He is the wealthiest European monarch with a total worth of about 11 billion dollars. Most of the family fortune is in banking, but his state wealth is near 3 billion. He shares much of his personal wealth with the people. Liechtenstein has a 25-person parliament who recently granted Prince Henri the ability to veto, kind of like the US President. He is the only constitutional monarch that has been given power back to him by his own people!

We explored central Vaduz, went to the Landes Museum of Liechtenstein, and visited the Vaduz Cathedral and Parliament building. The Landes Museum was very informative and we learned about the founding of Liechtenstein. In the early 1700’s Henri von Liechtenstein asked the Hapsburg King for a land grant within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Within a few years he had established himself as the prince, but would always pay homage to the Emperor. Since the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire the Prince of Liechtenstein has been a royal ruler in his own right. 2019 marks the 300 yr. anniversary of the founding of Liechtenstein!

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Some of our favorite items in the museum were the native costumes, the wooden cow horn decorations, and the Princes own private Faberge egg collection in the national treasury. They are known as  “people’s eggs”. They also seem to really like stamps in Liechtenstein!

However our favorite memory of Vaduz has to be the “Terrifying Osterhase of Liechtenstein!” We found out from a museum clerk that a young lady was dressed as an Easter bunny handing out candy to little kids. Seamus had gone to the bathroom and came upstairs to warn Faywen that the mascot was in the museum. Remember she is terrified of mascots! We had seen it earlier in the streets and had played “dodge the bunny”, but now it was in the museum! I must say the docent who helped us was quite sympathetic and actually went downstairs and asked the bunny to leave. The young lady understood and even gave the docent a sucker to give to Faywen! By the late afternoon the bunny had moved on and Faywen could once again enjoy strolling the streets of Vaduz!

As the sun began to set we walked across the only surviving wooden bridge to cross the Rhein River. In the center of the bridge is a sign marking the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I took some lovely photos of the kids playing down at the edge of the Rhein River on the Liechtenstein side. I was standing in Switzerland! We ate supper then checked into our hotel pension in Vaduz. The kids had an amazing little apartment that had stunning views of the mountains. Robert and I also had a nice little balcony to enjoy the sunset over the mountains and Rhein River.

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