Geneva was French speaking and thus easier for me; Zurich is German speaking and much harder. I was only there for a few hours because I am eager to get out of Western Europe and into more different countries. Mind you, the train to Zurich was spectacular. I have seen some beautiful and big mountains before, but not like that. These impossibly tall snow capped mountains soar into the sky from lush green (and flat) valleys, often with too beautiful crystal clear lakes in them. Switzerland is worth visiting just to see the spectacular mountains and lakes; the big cities are a little too uptight. Although, I am told that the small rural villages are much better. I headed to Liechtenstein via three trains and a bus.
Liechtenstein, a tiny country and home of many rich people and private banking firms, surprised me. I was expecting something along the lines of a little Zurich or even Andorra. To my very pleasant surprise it is a lovely little mountainous country with semi-rural small towns and a castle perched just above. It felt warm and completely unpretentious. I asked for help finding a hostel at a small hotel and they clerk was very friendly and helpful without ever pushing his place on me. All the shop people were the same, warm and friendly. It was hard to not like Liechtenstein. The hostel was nearly empty and I had a room all to myself. It was during the week and all the bikers, skiers, hikers, and other outdoor sport people had not arrived yet. There is not much to see there other than the natural beauty of the mountains, but it is a great place to be outside and get some exercise. One night was enough and I was off to Austria again, via two trains and a bus.
