Liechtenstein – a country about the size of Manhattan, a population around 35,000 people, accessible solely by bus, & only a few hours from Basel. When we learned that on Liechtenstein’s National Day, August 15th, the Prince opens up his mountain-top palace for celebratory festivities, we had to attend. Our group of three MIT alums, my friend Jessica, Clarke, & I stayed at the only hostel in the country.
 |
| Mountaintop royal castle |
On the bus into the capital city of Vaduz, we made our first Liechtensteiner friends. They told us stories of banking haven scandals and the challenge of foreigners immigrating to Liechtenstein and we wound up in the town’s bar sampling the local wine. The royal family has their own vineyards and their famed rose was mighty tasty.
 |
| Jessica, Stephanie, & I with the Royal Guards |
The National Day festivities kicked off at 9AM the next morning with a mass, speech from the Prince, & traditional dancing in a field. Since nobody in the group spoke much German, we all waited with baited breath for the processional up the hill to the castle that would signal the opening of the royal gates.
 |
| Siblings preparing to enter the royal castle |
 |
| Royal band playing ceremonial music in front of the castle |
The Prince sponsored a celebratory party with a band, smorgasbord of local breads, sandwiches, & fruits, and all the local beer you desired. We enjoyed our brush with royalty, members of Parliament, and local Liechtensteiners alike.
 |
| Clarke, Zach, Jerome & I enjoying our feast on the Prince |
No comments:
Post a Comment