Hotel Astoria Arosa

Das Abreisedatum rückt näher - noch 7 Wochen und dann geht es los.
Einmal um die Welt - oft darüber gesprochen, viel davon geträumt - bald wird es Realität.

Die Reisevorbereitungen werden intensiver, langsam macht man sich Gedanken, was man alles einpacken wird - nur nicht zu viel! Mal sehen ob das mit dem Vorsatz klappt :)
Vandans, Vorarlberg, Austria auszeit2010

We were planning to go to Liechtenstein but thought we may as well as it was sort of on our way. It's the worlds 6 smallest country so it would have been rude not to go..haha.

We didn't drive to the main town but to another.. where really there wasn't anything. I did get a photo with the tourist sign though. Had to somehow prove I'd been there!

... Höfen / Weilern. Es hat nur etwas mehr als 800 Einwohner, aber 1400 Ferienwohnungen und Ferienlager. Noch heute gibt es 10 Kapellen und die grosse Kirche im Hauptort Meierhof. Auf der gegenüberliegenden Talseite liegt Waldensburg, Andiast, Brigels und Panix. Über den Panixerpass oder den Kistenpass (Kistenstöckli) gelangt man ins Glarnerland.

Vor allem Familien ...

... familiar green Series Land Rover travelling in the opposite direction. It was Gaz and Charlotte in the Lean Green Recycled macnine!! Of course we stopped and turned round, and they did the same.

We were wondering why on earth they were on that road, but we soon found out they were on the way back towards Calais. The night before, things had proved too much for their motor, and they had problems ...

... Feldkirch I got lost. Actually I was just trying to get to McDonald's because the group wanted a bathroom break and the public toilets here were not to our standards. Anyway, I drove past the McDonald's twice - once my fault and once the navigator's - and drove down a pedestrian only section of road before we gave up and continued on our journey out of town and deeper into Austria.

... the pedestrian street. I also stopped for a bite to eat in a small kebab eatery.

On the bus back to Sargans, I got off at a stop in Balzers so I could check out another castle - the one we passed on the bus journey to Vaduz. This one is also a private one, it turns out, so I couldn't go inside it either. It sits on top of a steep hill wrapped in vineyards. I walked around a bit until another bus came along and headed back to Sargans.

... mountains and valley, so naturally the fireworks display as well). Another good reason for staying in - we were finally hit with our first new snow since arriving in Switzerland. Which meant the next morning at 9am while the rest of the village and hotel slept, the four of us snuck onto the lift and out onto slopes of fresh powder and no lines. We stopped for a break at the top of the mountain, had some spare ribs and beers and continued skiing with no crowds ...

... my route, which continued my ascent with ever more impressive views. Eventually this led around the side of a mountain, high enough that I could barely even see anything of Liechtenstein onto some disturbingly narrow paths, no longer sheltered from the wind and with vertigo inducing drops to the side. After a moment or two of hesitation, I pressed on and was able to appreciate the magnificence of it all once in a while, when the path widened slightly. Then, 5 ...

... What a view! I wish I could afford to live here. As it is, I’m sure the only reason we came is because it’s the 'off’ season.

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, so you know just how expensive it must be to live in St. Moritz. We took a little stroll through town before we had lunch and after lunch we did a bit more sightseeing, while the Others (Shirley & company) went shopping. As in Lucerne, you find a new and big (or ...

... a wonderful sound! As we started on our walk, we noticed that the fog was starting to descend on the valley and the temperature was getting cooler. While we walked around town, it was quite obvious that Davos is much more cosmopolitan than Kitzbuhel, not as charming and quaint. This is not to disparage Davos, it’s just that after being in Kitzbuhel (and falling in love with it), it’s hard not to make comparisons. The population in Davos is around 30,000.

As ...