Knowing that our stay in Liechtenstein, a small duchy on the eastern border of Switzerland (some think of it as another canton of that country) would be a short one, we planned to arrive not too late in the afternoon of Wednesday July 31. The map of the area between Leichtenstein and Zurich shows the village of Schaan just a few miles to the north of Vaduz, the capital; our route and pic locations () are in purple.
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The Vaduz Hostel was found just a few miles north of Vaduz on the western edge of Schaan near the Rhine. We had less difficulty than expected and were pleasantly surprised with it's picturesque setting. Although it had been a long day, there was still some daylight and a walk was in order after we ate some of the hostel's supper offering.
The area has a wonderful series of paved walking paths which we took less than a mile to the banks of the Rhine River. We immediately spied blackberry bushes picking and eating many and saving some for our morning cereal. A bit further north we could see a group of boys on the far bank celebrating early with fireworks the next day's Swiss national holiday.
The area along the river where the hostel is located is occupied exclusively by farms neatly kept and filled with crops. This one was of purple cabbage, though we saw other fields with corn and hay. The village of Schaan can be seen in the background at the foot of the Saminata Mountains.
The swarming and tree roosting birds were a scene reminiscent of Hitchcock's "The Birds". Likely the seeds in the prolific farm fields attracted the birds and we disturbed their rest as the sun set.
Despite the fact that it was too dark to take any more photos after we returned from the river, we ventured into the village to see what we could see. Although all the shops in Schaan were closed for the day and most of the few restaurants in that area appeared to be on a long holiday break, we enjoyed the window shopping and also seeing the neatly cared for homes with bountiful gardens. It was truely a picturesque area, one we'd very much like to visit for a longer period.
The next morning came soon enough - the sheep seen outside the window wore a bell that served as an efficient alarm clock. After gathering our belongings and having breakfast, we were quickly on our way driving back through Vaduz, across the bridge, and onto the highway towards the airport in Zurich.
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