Liechtenstein and Zürich

On the second day of my weekend trip to Eastern Switzerland, I woke up as early as on the first. I did not have as much trouble staying asleep as yesterday, but I was mortified by the idea that my six o’clock alarm might wake up people in neighbouring pods. This time, I managed to grab a quick bite to eat before setting off in the direction of Sargans, though I did have to make a run for it when I saw that the train was leaving in two minutes. Hopefully the store owners did not think I stole something.

The reason why I headed to Sargans was that it is one of the few places with a direct bus connection to Liechtenstein. I was able to buy a ticket on the bus with my credit card, and I let the driver persuade me to get a day pass. I figured this would give me more flexibility, though I did marvel at its price of 12 Francs, which is 11 more than what I paid for my trip in Reichenau. Perhaps part of the reason why I did not insist on a single ticket was my fear that I would have to decode more utterances in the driver’s strong regional accent, which had already been quite a challenge to comprehend.

It dawned as I rode along, and the white mountains stood against a beautiful purple sky until it turned a very light shade of blue. When I arrived in Vaduz, a cold dark shadow still bathed the valley. I made a short excursion along the main road, taking a look at the Government Building and Saint Florin’s Cathedral, but I did not dare to enter the latter as a mass was taking place. Since it was not getting any warmer, I decided that there was no point in putting off the inevitable and began my hike towards the castle.

There are many interesting facts to note about Liechtenstein, for example that it does not have its own currency and that its laws must be signed into action by the prince. Also, Liechtenstein no longer has a hospital with a maternity ward. Thus, apart from children born at home or en route to the hospital, the vast majority of Liechtenstein’s younger citizens are born abroad.

The practical implications of being a rather monarch-reliant constitutional monarchy are not immediately obvious. However, one such implication is that even Vaduz Castle (the closest thing Liechtenstein has to a recognisable landmark) is privately owned and inaccessible to the general public. It is also very zealously guarded, which I only learned after a megaphone at the back entrance barked an automated message at me to say that I was trespassing. Apparently, the signs “Private” and “Employee Parking” do not mean “Private parking, do not park your car here” but “Private property, do not enter lest you be deemed a security to the head of state.” I apologised to the rather self-important and unpleasant guard in his little glass booth, but the embarrassment haunted me for the rest of the day.

I felt too impatient to wait for the sun to climb over the nearby hill and cast its light on the castle. Instead, I climbed back down to the bus stop and waited for my trusty steed, the number 11 bus. Rather than riding it all the way out of Liechtenstein, however, I only took it to Balzers, a village at the foot of a quaint little hilltop castle. Once I had walked around and taken all the pictures I wanted, it was finally time to leave Liechtenstein for good, probably never to return for the exaggerated fear of being branded a criminal.

It was not yet lunchtime by the time I arrived in Sargans, but due to my early departure I was already feeling quite hungry. I was, therefore, very pleased to find a vegan-schnitzel pretzel-dough sandwich at the train station shop, which was a welcome follow-up to my vegan pretzel-dough hot dog the day before. Ever since I ate a vegan currywurst in Berlin some seven years ago, I have searched for similar products at stalls in many different countries, but I never had any success until this fateful day.

I returned to Zürich in the afternoon only to find it covered in a thick layer of mist; the treacherous climate of the lake-filled lowlands had struck again. Nevertheless, I proceeded with my tour of the city, walking past the city museum to the river and then south to the rest of the attractions. One of the best views of Zürich is to be had from Lindenhof, a hilltop park right by the old town centre. Of course, this view is best enjoyed in better conditions, but I could still see Zürich’s main churches and towers, as well as a few other interesting buildings. When I decided to visit these churches, I found the Fraumünster closed, while Saint Peter’s and the Grossmünster were not very interesting (and the latter even had the audacity to ask for an entry fee).

Unexpectedly, the most curious sights in Zürich were the least advertised. On the square in front of the opera house are two glass buildings that lead to subterranean parking lots. One of them, however, houses several artefacts that were found when the area was being excavated, including prehistoric ceramic fragments, animal bones, and weapons. Further south along the lakeside lies the walled Chinese Garden. Surprised by its accuracy, I learned that the complex was gifted to Zürich by Kunming, its sister city; inside the main pavilion, there is even a watercolour of the Stone Forest.