I chose this particular tour for the primary reason that I have a soft spot for everything “A Knight’s Tale,” and thus the assumed identity, Sir Ulricht von Liechtenstein. The fact that I also got to see the beautiful land that inspired Johanna Spyri to write Heidi was an added bonus. This day also marked the first organized, guided tour of my trip. This tour, while not perfect or anywhere near spectacular, also provided enjoyment and transportation. (None of my tours utterly disappointed but only a handful stood above the rest.)
The tour itself, even with three separate stops, did not start until 11 which meant I could sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast in the amazing flat. I could definitely imagine living there. Around 10, I left the flat with a fully packed sling bag, taking the same metro line back to the main train station. Having learned my lesson from my Italy trip when we almost missed our tour because we could not find the starting location right at the listed starting time, I gave myself half an hour after arriving at the station to find the meet up point. Having the cushion provided ease of mind and came in handy when I found a Starbucks near the station but no little blue box (not that one unfortunately) nearby. Thankfully, a friendly train station worker pointed me in the direction of the next door bus station which had the specified Starbucks (from the tour information page) as well as the tour company’s blue box.
Once on the bus, I waited for everyone to arrive, hoping for a less than full bus so I could have both seats in the row to myself. At 11, the bus stood half-full so I got my wish. Since I had gotten to sleep in that morning, I got to use the ride to continue journaling instead of resting my eyes, although if I had slept, I would have missed the guide’s ill-fated attempts at humor. Careful scouring of the tour reviews can prevent sampling most duds but choosing tours still holds an element of chance. I avoided the worst on this trip but I would have preferred a tour with a little less cringe-worthy humor.
Approximately an hour later, we approached the Swiss town of Rapperswil, driving over a bridge through surroundings that reminded me of Peter Jackson’s Lake Town in the Hobbit movies. (Although I take major issue with Jackson’s directorial choices, the artistry of the set designers and other artisans cannot be denied.) Not for the last time, the tinted windows stood in the way of decent pictures.
When choosing tours that provide transportation to several places, one often forfeits the flexibility of stopping to photograph things such as this. (One tour, which comes later, managed to execute this feat with skill and thus ranks as one of my favorite tours.)
Once we stopped and exited the bus, the guide told us several times of the lunch options before leading us towards the castle. I started to get excited because I love touring castles.
Alas, I got excited in vain. The tour did not include entry to the castle, the large majority of which now functions as an expensive hotel and wedding venue.
We ended up seeing only the outdoor portion of the wedding venue as well as a small lobby with a painting of the various coats of arms belonging to the rulers of the area.
The castle’s rose garden, however, showed off its beauty in stunning color. I spent a good bit of time in that garden photographic the roses for Mom and trying to figure out how to form a decent close up photo of the flowers. If anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them since decent floral photography eludes me.
While we walked back down to our starting location, the guide shared a bit more information, including the fact that Switzerland offered refuge to Charlie Chaplin after he professed Communist leanings. This happened after other European countries one by one denied entry to the Hollywood star now banned from entering the US. The city of Rapperswil has a large, bronze shoe placed near the waterfront in his honor.
Other than the Charlie Chaplin story, the guide had little to share before sending us on our way for lunch.
Rather than blow my entire day’s budget on one meal, I wandered about a bit to take pictures, get steps in and find something cheaper to eat.
After a bit too long of a break and a guide who did not abide by his own stated return time, we boarded the bus again, this time headed for Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein did not present as picturesque first impression as Rapperswil but I still looked forward to exploring and learning a little about the tiny principality wedged between Austria and Switzerland. Just before we disembarked, our guide mentioned that we could obtain novelty passport stamps in our passport. Yes please! Even with this trip, visiting twelve different countries, my passport reflects only the country of entry thanks to the Schengen zone of the European Union. We all headed over to a crowded novelty shop where I grabbed a keychain as well. I walked outside to wait for further instructions from our guide but these instructions never came. Apparently the information he shared on the bus was the extent of his Liechtenstein guidance.
Since we could not ascend the mountain to visit the castle – the royal family was in residence – I ended up wandering up and down the tiny “main” street which passed the Parliament building and a church.
I did not want to get too far away and miss the bus. The wandering did yield one highlight. Upon striking up a conversation with another American on the tour, she lavished compliments on my t-shirt. I wore my Dr. Who “we’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” shirt. It’s always nice to find another Whovian.
Another short ride took us to Heididorf in Maienfeld. I had not paid extra for entrance into the house but the views as we walked up to the village took my breath away. When you walk the path, you immediately understand Johanna Spyri’s inspiration. I thought Zermatt held the quintessential Alpine views; apparently Switzerland holds a lot of those vistas.
After we finished the short hike, we entered the euphemistically titled “village” of which two buildings cost extra to enter. We had only a short forty minutes in the “village” but even with spending a chunk of that time in the gift shop, I had plenty of time to spare.
If I had visited apart from the tour, I would have explored the area further using one or both of the several kilometers long trails that the area inaugurated in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the book’s publication a few years ago. Even though I could not explore much, I got more than a few amazing pictures out of that stop.
The journey finished with a short ride back to Zurich where I got to relax in the amazing flat for a few hours before getting some sleep to prepare for the adventures in Munich the next day.