June 2024. Schaan-Vaduz. Liechtenstein.
You can stay in luxury in Bulgaria or Albania for £30 a night, but Mrs RM had to bust the budget to stay overnight as we completed the European micronations.
This might be the most expensive youth hostel in the world,
but luckily Mrs RM had booked a Sunday night for half that.
A mile walk from Liechtenstein’s capital to Schaan, marginally its largest town (6,039, mostly finance workers and beauticians).
A mile of quirkiness,
manicured gardens,
Alpine clichés,
and a sparking new McDonalds at possibly Liechtenstein’s only roundabout.
Those little wild berry McPop doughnuts were gorgeous.
We raised the average age of the custom in Maccie D’s from 15 to 45, and I suspected this rather out-of-character fast food opening was an attempt to persuade young Liechtensteiners not to head off to the bright lights of Sargans across the border, but the next morning would reveal a dazzling array of leisure activities (inc. crazy golf !) for young folk along the Rhine.
But that evening, Schaan’s attractions looked quite limited,
and after admiring the view from our immaculate Youth Hostel room,
Mrs RM opted to rest up after that 3am start and let me explore.
This, then, is Schaan.
Home to the country’s shops; mainly phones, cosmetics and posh shoes, but little else.
Back at the hostel, we were overjoyed to discover the self-serve fridge contained local beer in branded glasses, Swiss crisps and Zuckerbäcker Goop.
To the obvious delight of the nice lady at the hostel, I declare the Weis beer a triumph,
but it’s the local Zuckerbäcker Goop (sadly, nothing to do with Gwynneth Paltrow) you want to know about.
Almonds with strawberry aroma. Rather more than the £4 a bottle for the beer, but worth every Swiss franc.
retiredmartin 
That looks rather like Street Youth Hostel in Somerset
I have three nights booked at Lake District Youth Hostels next month, the cheapest being £16.20.
Youth Hostels are for the young and young at heart. I’m neither but they still let me stay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The rules for the Europe ticking fascinate me.
What do you do in transcontinental countries like Kazakhstan? I have certainly been to Kazakhstan, but not the European bit. Would that count as a tick?
Do you have to sleep in a country for it to count? That seems to have been the case in Lichtenstein, but how do you do that in the Vatican City?
Then there are breakaway bits (of Moldova for example). The Dutch enclaves in Belgium and the Russian Exclave. Not to mention Belarus, how do you visit Minsk these days?
All this must have required careful thought and deliberation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’d have to ask Mrs RM for the rules, but I sense she’s much stricter on an overnight stay than some tickers !
Definitely not including the Stans in Europe, though very much on her list to do soon.
After Moldova, it’ll just be Belarus to do, and that’s not happening any time soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person