Day nine – Seefeld to Konstanz
| Distance today – 291 km | Journey time – 5h 15m |
| Total trip distance – 2,781 km | Total journey time – 1d 21h 20m |
The plan for the day included numerous border crossings, and 4 countries – starting in Austria we’d transit the Hahntennjoch pass, into Switzerland, then briefly into Lichenstein, before returning to Switzerland and finally into Germany for our next overnight stay at Konstanz.
Of course we started with a huge buffet breakfast, taking part in what we missed out at dinner the night before. The hotel really was a long way from what we’d expect given the cost, and the decor once again failed to impress. We gave some strong feedback at check-out – the receptionist thanked us and apologised for the appalling welcome and smoke-smelling room (I think she meant it too).
On the road again, the scenery of this part of Austria was stunning. Lots of mountains, churches and windy roads as we avoided the faster motorway routes to pick up the road to the Hahntennjoch.
As we neared the Hahntennjoch the weather deteriorated rapidly. Rain turned to snow, which became heavier and as we climbed was settling on the ground and road in more places. The route was incredible though – continually twisting, turning roads, narrow lined with trees, then occasionally a glimpse of the mountains shrouded in cloud. Probably the prettiest route so far.
From here we continued on to a road which took us through a number of ski resorts including Lech, equally snowy and even narrower in places.
From here we travelled for an hour or so towards Lichtenstein, a tiny land-locked country of only around 40,000 inhabitants bordering Austria and Switzerland. A quick stop allowed for a cake, and a visit to two tourist attractions. The “Landesmuseum” contained a variety of things related to the country from nature to information on their part in the Second World War to archaeology. It was mostly interesting but the majority of the displays were annotated in German, which meant looking but not reading for the most part.
The “Treasury” was more interesting, containing some incredible Fabergé eggs. However strictly no photos were allowed. To get into the attraction you were given a coin, which gained you entry to an airlock space – for security I guess!
Before leaving we sent postcards to the children, from the tourist information office – staffed by a lady from Northampton who’d lived in Lichtenstein for 33 years!! And parking was free – all weekend, every weekend, apparently!!
Back across the Swiss border we headed to our next hotel. This place really smashed it. On arrival the concierge took all our bags straight from the car to our room (even hanging our coats in the wardrobe), I parked the car in the garage under the hotel (as the concierge wasn’t keen on parking a right hand drive car….fair enough!) and we were met in reception with sparkling wine from the receptionist. Once checked in, he took us to our room, giving us a tour of our home for the next 2 days before letting us know when we were ready he’d take us on a tour of the hotel. Whilst unpacking we had a ring from our doorbell and a hotel worker offered us petit-fours to add to the chocolates and apples that were already in the room.
We returned to reception straight away, for our guided tour, keen to see what was on offer. What a hotel and great welcome experience, probably one of the best we’ve ever had.
Once rested and showered we headed to dinner. The Michelin 2 star restaurant was closed (staff holiday!), but their other restaurant was not. Incredible food, probably the best we’ve had so far this holiday.
