Today commenced a new venture into continental Europe, the next phase in my ambitions to soak in the Alps. Farewelling friends in Rome, I braced myself for an overnight bus ride spanning three separate legs and twenty hours of travel time. If I wanted to save on my voyage to one of Europe’s most diminutive nations, I would undergo the punishment at the outset of the trip, then rest myself in the mountains.
Once Friday morning dawned, the winding bus ride graced us with spectacular views of the peaks, most white-capped and gleaming with the chill indigo unique to alpine atmospherics.
Parish churches supervised proudly from their lofty perches, often with a collection of houses clustered around their skirts.
Some websites advised visiting Liechtenstein in the springtime for the flowers - when I spotted snowdrifts on the drive up, I feared finding the little town still locked in its coldest season.
My delight doubled when these beauties greeted me...
...and along the stream running from the town center to the fields, pink-frosted boughs, profusions of primrose, and an elegant magnolia enchanted.
Liechtenstein nestles between Switzerland and Austria. Tomorrow I'll test the town's hiking trails: from Vaduz (the town nearest approaching a capital city) to Triesenberg, with a stop at the royal residence along the way.
