Not Quite the EU

One of the many themes of this vacation was less a theme and more of a weather condition: rain. It rained in almost every country we visited for almost our entire trip. Sure there were brief moments of dryness and blue skies but for the most part we wished we had packed – or even owned – umbrellas. The two notable exceptions to this rule were Liechtenstein and Switzerland. What do these two countries have in common that make them different from the rest of the European nations we stopped in? They aren’t part of the EU.

Before too many days had passed, I was fairly certain that joining the European Union required agreeing to have a weather machine filled with rain situated permanently above your nation. I was incredibly grateful, as you can imagine, to escape this European weather menace during our drive from Austria through Liechtenstein and into Switzerland.

Liechtenstein is a dot of a country that could have taken us less than an hour to drive through. Instead we opted to stop in Vaduz for some castle hunting and lunch. Vaduz Castle is perched atop a steep hill above the capital and can be seen from almost everywhere in town. Not bad digs if you happen to be local royalty in this monarchical country.

Our initial plans included having lunch at Restaurant Torkel overlooking the Prince’s own vineyards. Sadly, for reasons we couldn’t fathom, their last seating for lunch was at 1:00 p.m. and we were turned away at the door. They were, however, nice enough to give us a token so we could get out of their parking lot without any problems.

By now, we were frustrated and had low blood sugar to boot so we decided to dine in town at one of the many open-air restaurants that dotted the pedestrian mall. Given the array of food choices we saw there, I can only assume that Italian food (specifically pizza) is the traditional food of Liechtenstein. I shouldn’t complain, though, since it was a very tasty pepperoni pie.

Although there was definitely modern architecture present in Liechtenstein, the country seemed locked in an older, simpler time. Perhaps I’m romanticizing the place a little but it really did seem idyllic and peaceful. When Hubby and I become billionaires, I definitely foresee us purchasing one of our summer homes here. Maybe next door to the castle…