Leaving Prague, we decided to run up the score on the number of countries we visited on this trip. To do that, we headed back to Germany and then south for the Alps. We couldn't head in that direction without hitting perhaps the biggest tourist attraction in Bavaria - Neuschwanstein Castle. The model of Disneyland's castle, it is pretty amazing. The story of the castle is a bit more interesting, but I'll let you do your own research there. Crazy Kings and their money are soon parted and some don't leave with their lives. I had visited the castle in 1994 when Anna and Frank were married. Mom and I traveled for the wedding. It has grown up as a tourist attraction since then. I can't say that the weather cooperated at all. It was cool and foggy for the majority of the visit, but only managed to turn to cool and rainy. Good thing it was mostly inside. As much as I tried to convince my family that I walked up the hill to the castle with my retired Mother, they persisted in badgering me for the ride up in the horse drawn carriage. It was a rather entertaining ride for J.J. in the front as the left horse had a tendency to release gas when he strained and it was a very big hill!!
The castle was never finished, but I thought we were able to see more on this visit than the last and it was pretty cool. The pretty view from the bridge was nothing but a foggy mess, so that little walk returned few dividends.
After finishing at the castle, we headed for our accommodations. How many of you can say that you not only have been to Liechtenstein, but actually slept there? We can! Yes, Martha found a hostel in Liechtenstein. So we touched another country (Austria) and made it to Liechtenstein. Like everything else we saw in this tiny country, it was neat and clean. And when looking online for something that sleeps 5, you grab the ones you see. The room had a loft with 3 sunken mattresses and was just perfect for us.It was the Saturday evening before Easter and nearly everything was closed, but we managed to find the one sit-down spot for dinner in the country and had a very wonderful meal. This country is known as a center of finance and the meal was so costly that I considered financing when the bill came.
I can honestly say that there isn't much to see in Liechtenstein and if I never have to type that word again, I will have had my fill in this blog alone. I guess there is some good skiing, but that is really it. We did see this well-lit castle overlooking the city of Vaduz (the capital if you are ever in need of a trivia question answer). After dinner we decided to drive by it as we were certain it wouldn't be open. On the way up the the steep and curvy road, the excellent meal that we had just paid for and topped off with a VERY LARGE vanilla shake was unceremoniously rejected by Grace before we could stop and find a better location for her to return it. It was not a happy end to our visit to the country that will not be typed again, but we were certainly happy that it was an event of excess versus an event of illness. We were also thankful for rental cars. Grace has already rejected a number of opportunities to revisit the vanilla milkshake, but I'm sure her memories will fade and they will be welcomed back to her list of acceptable items soon.
The next day was Easter Sunday and we had a rather long drive to get back to the airport for our journey back to Ireland. We were all ready. We chose to drive along the southern side of the Bodensee or Lake Constance. We ticked Switzerland off our list of countries touched and headed toward Germany. It is a very beautiful drive with the Alps on the left and the lake on the right. None of which we saw due the snow and fog that obscured them. Ah, well. We had good intentions for a scenic drive. As we approach hunger time, the reality of Easter Sunday set in. After a long trip of eating the native food, we succumbed to a McD's. We just couldn't find anything else and need to prop up our spirits for that last leg. One more RyanAir flight and we were home in Ireland with nothing to do the next day, but relax.
The biggest event that came out of our trip was J.J.'s decision to become a vegetarian. We are frankly not sure what triggered this, but he has forsaken meat for the time being and knowing him, it will not be a short endeavor.
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