Country hopping

The first of many long weekends until end of the year. Yeah! (you have to see the positive side, even in crisis time. I think we are getting very good at that…). And: all kids are back to school, the parents back to work. Yes! Time to finally travel south and explore the gorgeous Lake Constance. Van life with Charlie, of course!

270km of sparkling shoreline dotted with vineyards & the most charming towns. That’s Lake Constance – shared by Germany, Austria & Switzerland.

And that’s the famous lake: huge, beautiful, shiny. Enjoying the spectacular views while having lunch.

A visit wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Zeppelin.

Lake activities.

It’s harvest time: apples, pears, plums and hops. And soon pumpkin to follow. Yam!

Hops & villages called “beer cellar” – only in Germany.

The sun is setting down. Wow! That view… stunning. A wonderful day is ending.

Sleeping between apples & hops. Listening to the owl not far away. Wonderful & peaceful.

There aren’t many places in the world where you can visit four countries in one trip without traveling farther than a few dozen miles. One weekend: four cultures, four languages (kind of and definitely for hubby. Lol.), four different cuisines. No borders (even in corona times). Sounds fabulous! Let’s do it.

Good morning, Lindau!

First cappuccino at the market stand with fresh goat milk, followed by a second one in a beautiful side street cafe. That’s Lindau, charming with beautiful alp views.

Crossing borders all the way up to the top of the Pfaender in Austria. You need strong nerves for driving up (and later back down). But once up: hiking, catching the most beautiful sunshine on 1064m & enjoying delicious lunch. It’s a perfect Saturday with spectacular views over the Swiss Alps and Lake Constance. Stunning!

Cruising on to the world’s sixth smallest country: Liechtenstein. Ever heard of the smallest country on this continent (we even had to google the currency & language…)? With just 37,000 residents and only 24km from end to end, this country is full of quirks and absolutely not full of tourists which makes the place even more endearing. Liechtenstein is also were half a liter of beer is called “Kübel” and where cows are walking on the main roads.

And the beer tastes best with a great view 1500m above sea level. Surrounded by cows again. Very peaceful. We spontaneously decided to stay here over night. Best choice.

Good morning, Liechtenstein!

Cruising on to Switzerland, finishing our trip around Lake Constance. We are passing the German speaking part in Switzerland where sparkling water is called “loud”.

Breakfast in St. Gallen.

“Chocolate is the answer to everything, no matter what the question is”. Oh yes, and that’s (one of many reasons) why we love (and stop) in Switzerland. All it needed was a charming waiter and ladies next table convincing hubby to dive into that chocolate mousse (he shared one bite with me… it tasted heavenly).

We had another fantastic van trip. And I have to admit we both fell in love with the tiny but gorgeous country Liechtenstein. Those beautiful curvy country roads! Ohh, I just can’t explain how beautiful it is! You need to see this place with your own eyes!

We were warned by friends: if we manage to cram all of this into a few days, we may just need another vacation to see more (or recover from the beauty) – oh it’s a hard life!

This weekend fed again our wanderlusting soul. Europe is beautiful!

…the next long weekend is coming up soon…