Highlight Just getting there and Liechtenstein.

It was a long drive day. We left Nico’s soon after breakfast at about 9am, following farewells and an exchange of gifts. He gave us coffee and special biscuits from Venice, then presented us with sandwiches, water and cold soft drinks as we were about to pull away.

John wanted to take a photo down the steep valley as we headed out towards Trento but it was not easy with the clouds and the trees. Katherine and I did our best then John just drove.

I was really concerned we would get into Austria without the ticket needed for the motorways so insisted on a stop at a rest area some 30km before I thought the border was going to be. It costs 9 euro but the fine is now 500 euro if you forget!! We got it from a garage but did not buy fuel as it was very pricey, as we had assumed.

The weather was again awful with very heavy rain almost all the way after we crossed into Austria. We also had some extra tolls to pay, first in Italy and then for special roads in Austria. One was the Brenner Pass, where we had a slow trip into the booths to pay at both ends. We had thought we would go briefly into Innsbruck, but the awful weather and the time it would take had us bypassing it. It was only after we did so that I realised Katherine had never been there, but she was not concerned, and it was too late.

We ate the sandwiches and mandarins from Nico as we drove through Austria. I was looking at tunnel lengths and had moaned I had missed the distance (on display at the start of each one) on one long one when we had to pay an extra toll then went into a nearly 16km tunnel. They did give John a break from the rain although there was still spray.

We all wanted to go into Liechtenstein, and yes it was to tick off a country, find a cache (us) and have a local beer (Katherine). We all felt just crossing the border was not enough to count so we put the capital into the Tomtom. John didn’t know there was a capital but I had done research and knew to head for Vadez. It was not completely straightforward, as first there was a change to the roads that did not show on the GPS, then we couldn’t find a park (until we went just a bit further and found a free one) and finally I felt woozy when I got out of the car, but only because we had sat for too long.

After that, things went fine there. We found a new virtual cache and walked past some nice buildings and interesting art work that seemed to be part of an exhibition. The town seemed very quiet, but we did find the beer for Katherine and I had a banana split before we went back to the car. I had had no real reception on the phone but it did not seem to be a problem.

It was soon after this the lack of phone reception did prove an issue. We had set the Tomtom to take us to our AirBNB in Bermatingen, a small place near Meersburg. I had not thought about the route until the machine said we would be on a toll road. Then Katherine clicked that we might be going through Switzerland!! Liechtenstein uses Swiss francs and we should have realised why. It was too late to backtrack and leaved through Austria as we were on a motorway. We stopped at the first rest area to confirm things. Yes, we were in Switzerland, just on the border, so we paid for the Swiss motorway ticket, which will last until next year. The upside was that Katherine had not paid for a bus ticket to Basel (in Switzerland) in a couple of days and now we can take her there without worries.

We arrived at the AirBNB and settled in. The comprehensive booklet told us about places to eat, as well as the location of a supermarket 11 minutes away, so we headed for the supermarket. On the way back a nearby beer garden place was closed but a Guest House with a restaurant wasn’t and we had schnitzel in various forms before heading home.  

The place we are in would comfortably allow 6. The room John and I are in has an extra single bed and Katherine has a double, sofa and a side nursery room with a bed and cot. The bathroom has a interesting style with tiles and a separate toilet. We also have a full kitchen and living area with table for 6. it is a shame there will only be two of us here for 2 of the nights as we are taking Katherine to Basel on Friday to visit friends. But is is nice to spread.