Tiny Country Tour: Liechtenstein

February 12th and 13th - Liechtenstein

I like doing unique things. I read an article a few months ago that referenced Vatican City as the world's smallest country, which I knew, but the article also mentioned that Vatican City had this distinction despite having ZERO permanent residents!  Did you know that?

I found that fact so delightful, I started researching the world's most minuscule countries to see what I could learn about these pint-sized places. Some of them are far flung island locations that I may never visit... but I learned that 4 of the tiniest countries are in Europe.  I decided it would be fun to visit them all and add some (very rare) stamps to my passport!

The 10 Smallest Countries in the World  (smallest to "largest")
1. Vatican City (Italy)
2. Monaco (France)
3. Nauru (island in the South Pacific north east of Australia / Indonesia)
4. Tuvalu (island in the South Pacific north east of Australia / Indonesia)
5. San Marino  (Italy)
6. Liechtenstein (Austria/Switzerland)
7. Marshall Islands (islands in the South Pacific north east of Australia / Indonesia)
8. St. Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean)
9. Seychelles (island off the eastern coast of Africa, near Kenya/Somalia)
10. Maldives (islands off the southern tip of India, east of Seychelles)

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The first stop on my Tiny Country Tour is Liechtenstein, the 6th smallest country in the world.
Liechtenstein is nestled between Austria and Switzerland. It's just 4 miles wide by 15 miles long... slightly larger than Manhattan (which is 2.3 miles wide by 13.5 miles long).

Liechtenstein is surrounded on all sides by the Alps.  There is a gorgeous, vibrant green valley between the mountains and a river winding through the valley. When I started researching Liechtenstein months ago, I was fascinated by how much it looked like the setting of a fairytale. You'll notice this blog post is crammed full of photos. I don't think anyone could ever explain the beauty that is Liechtenstein. You have to see it to believe it.

I know what you're thinking... "sure, but thats just a photo meant to look charming."
I understand.  I thought the same thing until I got here.  But, I can assure you...it absolutely looks like these photos, you guys. It's gloriously clean, picturesque, colorful (even in February), quaint, charming and everywhere you look, you're reminded of a fairytale.

This natural beauty draws outdoor enthusiasts to Liechtenstein in droves.  The country is famous for it’s hiking trails – 248 miles of hiking trains zig zag across the tiny country of just 61 square miles. That's a LOT of hiking trails. If you enjoy hiking and the outdoors, add Liechtenstein to your list of places to visit. 

A few fast facts about Liechtenstein.  

The legal drinking age is 16, women just got the right to vote in 1984, it's the world's largest producer of dentures an it's still rules by a Prince who lives in a castle high atop the hill (just like in a fairytale!) 

The Royal castle

Liechtenstein itself has 35,000 residents and is made up of 11 districts or neighborhoods.  Vaduz is the capital city with about 5,000 residents.  I stayed in a neighborhood that is built high into the mountain, Treisenberg. Now, Treisenberg is a bit tricky to get to.  My GPS took me up a nerve shredding road that lacked guardrails and was only wide enough for one car.  It was like a horrible game of chicken.  Halfway up, a BMW raced up behind me and stayed on my tail the rest of the way. 

It turns out, my GPS is an asshole and took me up the “residents” way.  There is a much safer, well-maintained, freshly paved road which I took on my way back DOWN from Triesenberg to the valley floor / Vaduz below.  That road is reminiscent of Lombardy street in San Francisco, but has plenty of guardrails!

I stayed at the Hotel Oberland, which I strongly recommend if for no other reason than it has the best view of any hotel in the entire world.

I asked for a room with a view and holy smokes, they provided it! My room looked out onto 2 mountains, the valley below, the river and Vaduz.  When I first looked out the window, I was downright giddy.  I knew immediately I made the right choice to stay in Treisenberg.

I spent much of the next 12 hours checking the view to see how the setting or rising sun changed it.  It should come as no surprise that the view was absolutely stunning each time I looked, even when it was hazy and overcast.

I didn’t do much that night in Treisenberg – I went for a long walk up in the hills, stunned by the views.

Then, I got cleaned up for dinner. I didn't feel much like exploring after my long walk, so I ate dinner at my hotel. I had an excellent meal of filet mignon, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables and a few glasses of wine. Liechtenstein can be a bit pricey. With the conversion, I think I paid around 60€ for dinner.. definitely one of my more expensive meals!

The next morning, I woke up early and watched the sunrise, the sun illuminating the mountain across from me, inch by inch, slowly. 

I remember thinking "This sunrise is one of the most beautiful things I'll ever see." I took plenty of photos to try to capture the moment.

I had breakfast and slowly headed back down the mountain to the valley and Vaduz. I walked around the town and visited the tourist information office for my passport stamp.

And finally, I toured the postage museum because postage is a huge source of revenue (and pride) for Liechtenstein.  It was a hoot!

They have 100s and 100s of pull out display cases for stamps from Liechtenstein.  It's a stamp collectors dream.

After the postage museum, I had to leave beautiful Liechtenstein. It's by far the most gorgeous scene that's ever been in my rearview mirror.

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I came to Liechtenstein because it was tiny...a novelty...something to cross off an arbitrary list.  But I learned something huge here. This country is so much more than a handful of stats and an entry on a tiny country list. It's a grand country with a big landscape. It's a hidden gem, a beautiful, peaceful corner of the Earth. It's a place that deserves to be admired for it's merits, not it's tiny size.  As I've learned and re-learned many times in my life, you cannot judge a book by it's cover.

Below is my favorite photo from my time in Liechtenstein. During the sunrise, suddenly the clouds turned this amazing shade of pale pink.  A few seconds later, it was gone. This photo reminds me to pay attention, to truly see what's in front of me and appreciate it.

And it's a great reminder...even small things can make a big impact.

Sunrise view from Trisenberg, overlooking Vaduz in the valley below

Innsbruck Austria, the snowboarder and Patrick Dempsey

Feb 10th and 11th- Innsbruck, Austria!



After a great weekend in Milan, I went back to my apartment in Vicenza and picked up my rental car...a gorgeous little Alfa Romeo Gulietta. It's a pseudo-sports car with lots of power and excellent handling that seemed perfect for a road trip through Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Monaco and back into Italy along the Italian Riveria.  A good car seemed important!

Julie with her Gulietta :)

 It's almost cuter from the back, like J-Lo.

So, I set out on the A22 autobahn, which runs from Verona, Italy up through Innsbruck, Austria.  The video below give you an overview of the trip - it was gorgeous!  (It's time lapse, but still pretty long, so just advance the video forward and check out the vistas along the way!)

The trip takes just under 3 hours and was one of the best road trips I've ever taken.  This is my first time in the Alps. I lived in California and drove through the mountains everyday. I've been up and down the Eastern seaboard amidst the Appalachians. I've been to Zurich and seen the Alps in the distance.  But in my opinion, NOTHING prepares you for actually being in the Alps.  It's gorgeous, awe-inspiring and makes every other mountain you've ever seen look like a charming hill in comparison.  Not to be too corny, readers, but I found something that big, that old, that constant...to be life affirming. It made me feel tiny and insignificant (in a good way) .

All you see is Alps as you exit the freeway for Innsbruck.

...then a few hair raising turns and suddenly, Innsbruck comes into view in the valley below, nestled against the base of Nordekette mountain.  It took my breath away and made me almost wreck my car.

My jaw remained dropped as I drove into the center of town.  So THIS is why people go skiing!  (ha, ha)  I stayed at the Grand Hotel Europa, which I highly recommend. It's the same hotel that the Queen has stayed, I wont bore you with my review of the hotel, but you can read it on Trip Advisor here if you're interested.  The decor was pretty fun, I must say.

The carpet climbed up the walls in the hallway!

And the bed was incredibly comfortable, somewhat of a rarity in Europe, if you ask me.

Now, I'm not a skier, snowboarder, snowshoer, or any type of winter sports enthusiast. But I instantly fell in love with the charms of a "ski town." All the bars and restaurants are warm and cozy with roaring fires to warm yourself near. People drink whiskey to warm up, cocoa is everywhere and the people are all wearing adorable hats and warm puffy jackets.  I've decided I simply must learn to ski or snowboard so that I can go to more ski towns!

I was sitting at the bar in my hotel, enjoying a Glenlivet 18 year scotch when two very attractive men walked in.

The propped their snowboards up against the wall and sat down near me at the bar. After a few minutes, I noticed one of them kept looking over and smiling. I returned the smile and within a minute, he was sitting next to me, offering to buy me another drink.

He explains his name is Stephan. He's an Austrian snowboarder. We start talking and sparks are flying like crazy.  About 30 minutes go by and his friend approaches. They exchange a few quick words in German and the friend frowns and leaves the bar.  Stephan stays, all smiles.

We have dinner, more drinks, talking, getting to know each other.  His English is broken and my German nonexistent (thank goodness for Google Translate). And yet somehow, he sings loudly when American music comes on the radio.  He embarrasses me by standing up and pointing at me while singing Bon Jovi's "Shot Through The Heart" and everyone in the bar joins in. I turn 10 shades of red and drink more scotch. It's like out of a movie...a bunch of Austrians who can barely speak English, but can sing perfectly without any accent. I laugh and laugh.  It's one of those perfect evenings...

The next morning, I had decided that even though I am not a big fan of heights, I will boldly take the cable car to the very top of Nordkette mountain to see the view.  I walked about 5 minutes from my hotel to the Congress building to the Nordkettenbahnen station.

I proudly declare to the ticket agent I want to go "...all the way up, please!" only to be told in a monotone voice that it's a cloudy day and I can only go halfway up to the Hungerberg stop at 860m. DANG IT!
I buy a ticket to Hungerberg and on a whim, I also bought a ticket for the AlpenZoo.

The tram is just 5 cars, mostly glass and have a funny shape to them. I quickly learn why - they have to curve and almost stack on one another as the tram climbs the very steep mountain.

The tram 

                                                View down from the Alpenzoo stop.

The views are stunning in every direction. I asked a stranger to snap a photo of me.

And a selfie for good measure....

The zoo itself is built into the side of Nordkette, so that the Alpine animals can live in their natural habitats.  It's a bit strenuous to walk around the zoo between habitats, but it made for a great workout. I particularly loved the mountain goats (the ones who can grab the rocks with their toes) and the moose, who I think was fond of me.

I really enjoyed the Alpen Zoo and recommend it to anyone going to Innsbruck!

Next, I continued up the tram to the Hungerberg stop.  I am reasonably sure Patrick Dempsey was on my tram...seriously.

Hungerberg is the halfway point and the place where you catch the cable car up to the summit.  More amazing views here, of course.  My favorite was a glass wall in honor of Hermann Buhl, an Innsbruck born Austrian climber and all around badass.

Stephan had told me a bit about him the night before. Buhl died in Pakistan, doing what he loved...climbing, pushing his limits and exploring the world.

I thought about adventure as I ate lunch at a little cafe called Wolke 7. I had a traditional Austrian soup called "brodo con canederli pressati al formaggio" which is a delicious beef broth with a cheese dumpling in the middle.  YUM!

The rest of my time in Innsbruck went by quickly. I walked around the old town but didn't visit any museums. I wasn't in the mood for that type of experience.  I really enjoyed strolling around, looking at architecture, window shopping, dodging trams and people walking by with snowboards and ski equipment.

I adored seeing the mountains over every building, always in the distance, like a safe sheltering force surrounding the town.

I studied the way the town was bathed in light and shadow at various times during the day because of the clouds (or lack thereof) on the mountain. It really is a beautiful town.

I think it's safe to say, Innsbruck is where in love with Austria and where I fell deeply in love with the Alps.

And now that I know gorgeous men like Stephan are up at the top of the mountain, singing Bon Jovi and drinking scotch, I really must learn to snowboard.

Auf weidersehen -

Milan, Italy

I didn't even WANT to go to Milan.

I had read Milan was a modern city with fairly little to offer in terms of tourist attractions, save The Last Supper and a Duomo. Oh, and The Scala.  It was like I heard 10 things about Milan, but heard them all separately...10 separate things I was lukewarm about seeing.  It's a center of banking, a commercial hub, home to fashion designers, blah blah blah. It all sounded terrifically boring, to be honest. I've seen plenty of Duomos, thankyouverymuch, I can skip this one.  But I agreed to go anyway, considering our apartment in Vicenza is less than 2 hours away by train. And because my mom, the product of a fairly religious childhood, was looking forward to seeing The Last Supper.

At the Milan train station

My mom is really The Undisputed Queen of Travel. I take it for granted sometimes, but give that woman 2 hours and a laptop and she could do just about anything. So, of course it was her who researched the entire city, made a plan bought the train tickets, and arranged the best part of the weekend -a tour of Milan.

 The tour was in a plush motor coach, with an English speaking guide and included an overview of Milan, it's history, a visit to see The Last Supper, a guided tour of Sforzesco castle, the Teatro alla Scala, the Galleria of shops and the Duomo.

I shouldn't have doubted my mother because you guys, Milan is awesome. It's a large city and it's got an energy that is both soothing and energizing.  It's full of chaotic car traffic that moves along effortlessly in the same lanes as the public trains. (I don't know how accidents don't happen constantly).

But that shared space makes it seem both modern and ancient at the same time.  As I admired the heavy, metal streetcars, an impossible attractive taxi driver told us that Milan sold street cars to San Francisco some years ago.

The architecture is stunning. The history is fascinating. The food is excellent. I loved it. Halfway through the weekend, I turned to my mom and said "I would live here" and she grinned and said "Me too!"



My biggest regret in visiting Milan was not attending an opera at La Scala, the world renowned opera house. Our tour took us through the museum, the gilded lobby and then we stood in one of the plush, red velvet covered opera boxes.  I could just imagine how magical it would be to listen to my first opera here.  Sadly, the (very few) remaining tickets were at least €255 and we thought it was a bit too expensive for lousy seats.  In hindsight, I bet the sounds, the sights, the experience would have been worth every euro cent.

Now, if you ever spend copious amounts of time in Europe you may start to think that after you've seen 20 or so duomos, you've seen enough duomos.  I had that very thought. But, don't be a fool!  Nothing I could write here could prepare you for the Milan Duomo.  The only thing that was even remotely close to it is La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. If you've seen that and marveled at the opulence, the grandiosity of the design, the excess, how around each corner is another opportunity for your jaw to drop to the floor, then maybe, you might be somewhat-sorta-almost prepared for the Duomo in Milan.  But still, you are not prepared.

This cathedral took 6 centuries to build...that's right... it took more than 600 years!  I am a bit of an architecture buff and always find myself wandering around structures and cities, taking in the feel of the buildings. The duomo was like someone shaking you as hard as possible and then hugging you. It's so grand, so impressive that it's startling. But it's also incredible beautiful, spiritual, heavenly and calming at the same time.

We paid a bit extra to take an elevator to the top and walk around outside, admiring the spires up close.  I'm no huge fan of heights (neither is my mom) but it was worth every moment in that ear-popping elevator. The views of Milan are astounding, the close up view of the architecture was a dream.  And I took a photo of my parents that I immediately fell in love with.

And of course, Milan is also full of exceptional shopping opportunities. There is a glorious galleria just between the duomo and the Scala.  I wandered in and out of boutiques there and in the shopping district, dazzled by Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Fendi, Versace and more. It's certainly a city where you could put the hurt on your credit card!

So, dear readers, I encourage you to add Milan to your travel list if it's not there already.

For those of you who are using this blog as help for your future travel plans (or just love hotel photos, like me!) we stayed at the Hotel de la Ville, which was modern, updated and gorgeous.

The location was perfect as a home base for exploring the city and the decor was gorgeous and modern.

  I fell in love with this navy upholstered King Louis chair. I need to ask my friend Stephanie (from Glitter and Goat Cheese ) for advice on how to recreate this entire area - awesome lacquered white table, gorgeous navy King Louis chair and a tall, graphic lucite lamp.

I'm not normally a big fan of wallpaper, but I fell in love with this bold graphic print in soft metallic. I might just have to play with wallpaper in my next house.

And finally, the hotel had a great bathroom as well, which is super important to me.  I'll fall in love with any bathroom that has marble everything, floor to ceiling!

Thanks, Milan, for being my first wonderful surprise on this trip.

Caio!

Back troubles and a week off

Dear readers, I've got news for you.  A bad back doesn’t care that you’re on vacation.  It doesn’t wait for you to find a convenient time to be laid up (because when is a convenient time, really?).  No, in fact, a bad back strikes when you least want it to.  The last time was just 3 weeks before the triathlon I’d been training for.

And this time…naturally, I’m in Siena, Italy.  I didn’t lift anything heavy or over exert myself or do something foolish.  Nope. Not me.  Not on vacation.  What did I do? I slept on a crappy bed in a 12^th century monastery turned hotel. And, thankyoukindly, woke up in terrible pain.

I took a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory and made it to the train station where I bought the Italian equivalent of a Therma-care instant heating pad.  I took a painful train ride back to my apartment in Vicenza. I was met at the door by my worried mother.  I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see her.

Side note, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get my prescription refilled for muscle relaxers. I simply went to the farmacia (the local pharmacy), showed them my prescription for Baclofen, explained that I was running out and they told me it would cost 15€.  No doctor appointment. No insurance. No prescription or cards or anything. I needed something and I got it.  It was really liberating. 

I "wasted" almost 5 entire days laying in bed with ice, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories.  My parents were very sweet, getting me ice packs, helping me, brining me dinner and just taking care of me.  It reminded me of why I’m moving home to Michigan once I return to the U.S.  Not to have people dote on me (although, yes, please!) but because family is important.  Because you never know when you'll need help. Because you never know when people will need your help. And even though I'm very independent, it just takes one backache to remind me I need people.  And even though in my mid-30s, no one can make me feel better like my mom can.

Now... after spending Monday-Thursday in bed, I was ready to hit the road again. 

We decided that Friday, we'll head to Milan...!

Siena and Il Palio

Jan 29-31

I'm in Siena, Italy!! Siena is a gorgeous town in Tuscany (43 miles south of Florence) and is built into 3 steep hills with the Duomo, or Cathedral, built at the very top overlooking the city.

It's a medieval walled city and cars are forbidden, though taxis, residents cars and delivery vehicles are allowed, so you see plenty of cars whipping around the impossibly narrow, steep streets.  I've traveled my fair share in Europe and I believe Siena's streets are the most steep and narrow that I've ever seen.

I spent a few days exploring this great city: the impressive gothic Cathedral, the Baptistry, the Crypt, the Museo dell'Opera and a tradition unlike any other...Il Palio.

On my first rainy day in Siena,  I ducked into a little "bar" (Italian for cafe or sandwich shop) and met Marco, the owner of the shop.  We chatted for a bit as I ate my panini and he told me he spent some time in the U.S. visiting his brother. I asked where and I almost choked. His brother lives in Marietta, Georgia! What a small world!

Marco is a character and he teaches me the word for rain (pioggia) and as he makes me a cappuccino, he asks me the word for the milk on the top.  "Foam" I tell him and he lights up like a Christmas tree.  "Foam!" he repeats excitedly.  One of his employees comes in and speaks in rapid Italian, gesturing at the cappuccino machine, pointing to the top of my cup and ends with a triumphant "FOAM!"  She looks unimpressed.

Marco also shares with me a bit of the history of his city.  Siena was originally a Roman colony called Saena Julia, founded by Augustus 2,000 years ago! Saena Julia was booming until 1348 when The Black Death (plague) hit the town and 75% of it's residents were killed.  Can you imagine 75% of all the people you know suddenly dying of the same illness? So then a long period of war, fighting, and occupation by the Spanish (and maybe another country as well...I can't remember) followed until Siena was sold to Cosimo in 1557 as part of Tuscany. In 1861, Tuscany was absorbed into the new kingdom of Italy.

In the next few days, the history that Marco shares with me helps me understand and appreciate this city even more. I understand how passionate the people of Siena are about their culture.  They have a dark and troubled past, but they are very proud of their city, their heritage and their traditions. It's really a very cool place to visit.

IL PALIO

Marco's bar is next to a tiny path that leads down to the Piazza del Campo.  When I leave his shop, I make my way down there and am blown away.

There is a huge piazza and since I'm in Siena in the winter, there are just a few people there.

Now, this vast empty space really blows your mind when you learn about Il Palio, Siena's famous horse race.

Back in the 14th century, Siena formed 17 contrade, or neighborhoods wards. Each contrade has an animal name (Eagle, Dragon, Panther, etc.), it's own flag, a crest and a spirit all its own.  Residents are fiercely loyal to their district for many reasons...but mostly because each year, they compete against each other in Il Palio.

Il Palio is a horse race held twice per year in the Piazza del Campo where I am standing. But during the Palio, 70,000 people are packed into this square!!

Once all 70,000 people are stuffed in, the police seal off all the entrances/exits to the piazza and the horses are paraded in. There is a contrade parade, a ton of fanfare, the crowd goes wild and then the race is held.

Each year, 10 of the 17 contrade compete in the race. 90 seconds, 3 laps around the piazza, first horse across the finish line (with or without a rider) WINS!

The piazza is steeply banked in several places, providing opportunities for crashes into walls, horse collisions and of course, riders falling off their horses. And since the riders are bareback, it's a feat to stay on your horse until the end of the race. Not only does the contrade who wins have bragging rights for the entire year, the rider is treated like a celebrity and mobbed as he crosses the finish line.

It's a fascinating tradition!

I spent my days in Siena exploring the city. It's beautiful and full of gorgeous architecture and tiny steep paths here and there.

Siena has a stunning Duomo built in 1215. I spent several hours exploring the cathedral, the baptistry, and the crypt below.

I was absolutely transfixed by the floor in the cathedral. The entire cathedral has an inlaid marble floor, made by over 40 artisans in a process that took over 200 years.

The result is stunning. For the first time ever, I found myself looking down in a cathedral more than I looked up.

The crypt is equally amazing...a large room that caved in and was rediscovered in the 1990's. Now it's been carefully excavated, the walls reinforced and the frescoes uncovered for all to see.

I stayed in the Hotel Duomo, in a former 15th century monastery. It's set high into the hill and I had a spectacular view of the Duomo from my room. Each morning, I woke to the sound of church bells and had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn't dreaming.

Put Siena on your list of places to see!