#worldstreetjournal

[worldstreetjournal]

Liechtenstein in Winter

[worldstreetjournal]

Liechtenstein - Vaduz the Capital

From Austria to Liechtenstein

I made a short day trip stopover in Liechtenstein (itinerary), the tiny principality wedged between Austria and Switzerland. It was an early morning train, so I bought breakfast at the train restaurant, but only the hot chocolate was good. Austrian trains were the cleanest and most comfortable trains I experienced in Europe so far. The train slowly passed by Austrian towns and briefly into Germany, before I alighted at the border town of Feldkirch to take a bus into Liechtestein. I was happy that an opportunity arose to pass by Liechtenstein as I thought of all the European countries, Liechtenstein seemed to have a lot in common with Singapore. 

Things that Liechtenstein and Singapore seemed to have in common: - Small - Expensive to live in - Political stability - Open to trade - Developed finance industry

Turns out, Liechtenstein was way smaller than Singapore than I thought. At 160 km2, it is much tinier than Singapore which has aggressively reclaimed its way to over 700km2. Everything in the capital of Vaduz also seemed really miniature, from its tiny castle to the church. Much of Liechtenstein is also covered in mountains and the nature remains pristine in most places, unlike Singapore’s urban jungle landscape of skyscrapers. It also seems to be really expensive to live in Liechtenstein. I had an kebab for around 10 euros, which is a price unheard of for a kebab up to that point!

Information center, must stop for maps and souvenirs

Vaduz Castle

Liechtenstein is now a constitutional heredity monarchy, with the prince as head of state and state administration by the government. Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, and it is a latin name dating back to the time when Romans ruled the area. The main sight in Vaduz is the Vaduz Castle, which is around 700 years old and is not open to visiting as the royal family is still living in it. There are some museums in Vaduz as well, such as a modern art museum and a postage museum that houses important documents from Liechtenstein’s history.

Beside the museums and information center are the government buildings of Liechtenstein. The parliament buildings are next to its cathedral, built in a neo-gothic style. Vaduz on a whole was generally very small, and I think it was only a 15-20 minute walk from one end to the other. A rare beautiful winter day was not to be wasted indoors in a museum, hence I opted for a hike from Vaduz to Triesenberg after a short stroll around Vaduz.

[worldstreetjournal]

Aachen

Aachen is about one hour away from Cologne by regional train. We woke up too late that day so by the time we reached Aachen, it was already dusk and the sun was setting. Originally I planned to visit the Lindt factory outlet store, but in the end we decided to spend more time in the town centre to enjoy the Christmas market atmosphere.

Aachen theatre

The Aachen Cathedral is the crowning glory of Aachen. It is Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, built by Charlemagne in the Middle Ages. It is considered to be an important turning point in history, as Charlemagne was the first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the first Emperor since the Roman Empire to unite much of Western Europe and laid the foundations for modern day France and Germany. Aachen used to be known as Aix-la-Chapelle when it was the capital of Charlemagne’s empire.  It is a particularly stunning sigh at night when the buildings are viewed form a certain angle. The Marienschrein in Aachen Cathedral is an important piece of gold metalwork that contains religious relics. Aachen Cathedral is also the final resting place of Charlemagne. 

The grand city hall with its gothic facade.

Printens are the regional specialty of Aachen. Its kind of cookie-bread, with a taste of gingerbread and may contain nuts or covered in chocolate. Printens are protected by law and only bakers in Aachen are allowed to make and sell these, so it is definitely a must try when going to Aachen. I went for the ones by Klein bakery because I prefer the softer version, but other bakeries also sell harder versions with nuts in them.

Update: Thanks to nora02583 for the clarification! Bakers all around the world are allowed to make them, they’re just not allowed to call them “Aachener” Printen unless they’ve been produced here.

Christmas Market

Carolus Therme

Lastly, Aachen is also known for its thermal bath Carolus Thermen, so we went in to try the spring water. I think it was not as hot as the springs in Baden-Baden, but it was still quite enjoyable.