Liechtenstein 列支敦士登国
June 4, 2022
Four of us did our last walk along the Lake St. Moritz this morning before headed to the St. Moritz train station. We not only had to say goodbye to this beautiful town, but also said goodbye to our friends today. They went back to the US and Germany. Together we enjoyed Switzerland's natural wonders, and culture and historical landmarks. We all promised we would make another trip together somewhere around the world. It was a memorable two weeks. After separating from our friends at Chur, we boarded our train to Buchs, Switzerland. At Buchs train station, we put away our luggage in a locker and got on a bus to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, with a transfer at Schaan, Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein is a micro-country between Switzerland and Austria, has the highest GDP per capita in the world, and is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. The prince and his family still live in Vaduz Castle, so the castle is not open to the public. However, Vaduz Castle is the #1 tourist attraction in the country. The castle sits on a hillside above the town. From the nearest bus stop to the castle was little less than a mile uphill walk, and along the route were impressively well-preserved houses with vineyards aligned. The beautiful castle looked stunning from the town of Vaduz, and it was even more attractive up close in person. At the top, we could see the whole country. We hiked down to the town of Vaduz via a different trail and explored the town a little before heading back to Switzerland.
After a quick snack at Schaan, we took the bus back to Buchs train station. From there, we rode the train to Innsbruck, our first stop in Austria. Today is the last day of our Swiss Travel Pass. We used it for traveling to Liechtenstein. Today is also the beginning day of our Eurail Pass. We used it for our train ride to Innsbruck. The Eurail Pass is a rail pass that permits travel through 33 European countries on nearly all railways. There are several different options available to choose from. We selected a 15-day 1st Class Eurail Global Pass that was valid for any 15 days within two months. We picked 1st class fare over 2nd class to have fewer people and more space in the carrier. It proved to be a wise decision.
The train ride to Innsbruck was very smooth and comfortable. We almost had the whole train coach to ourselves. About two and half hours later, we arrived at Innsbruck train station. Our hotel was in the middle of the old town. After checking in at the hotel, we went to find a place to eat. Due to many weekend tourists, we couldn't get a table at the first restaurant we walked into, so we settled in an Asian fusion place nearby, and the food was very disappointing. Then we went to explore the old town. There we found so many restaurants and bars. It was too late for the second dinner, we had large ice cream instead, which was good.
第十五天，今天和同游瑞士二周的新朋老友说再见。同伴们一个回美国，另一个回德国，我们俩则前往奥地利继续我们的欧洲游。在瑞士和奥地利之间有一个非常小的国家Liechtenstein(列支敦斯登)。我们一早从St. Moritz 坐火车到达瑞士的边境小镇Buchs，换乘公交车进入不到四万人的Liechtenstein到达首都Vaduz. 一路徒步到山顶只为能亲眼目睹Vaduz 城堡的尊容，累得够呛。这个小小国的首脑-王子还住在城堡里。之后坐车又回到瑞士的Buchs镇，再换乘火车到达我们奥地利游的第一站Innsbruck。
