Page 186 - WDT INTERACTIVE

happy to provide. One of the world's tiniest and richest
countries, Liechtenstein is an oddity – a mountain
principality governed by a constitutional monarch,
miniature vineyards and crowned by turreted castles.
Vaduz, its capital city, has less than 6,000 inhabitants
yet it boasts immeasurable treasures like the Apple
Blossom Fabergé egg, made of nephrite jade and
studded with diamonds, which is on display in the
Treasure Chamber. I learned how to make 'Käseknöp-
fle' (a hearty pasta-like dish with melted cheese), the
country’s national food, at Hotel Turna in the ski resort
of Malbun and slept in peace and quiet at an altitude
of 5,249ft until the sound of cow bells woke me early
in the morning.
With the journey in its final hours, I couldn’t resist the
temptations of the Thurgau wine region on the way
back to the airport. I dropped into the Weingut Forster
on the Wine Trail Weinfelden where outstanding wines
have been produced for more than 125 years. My
favourite, the 2016 Fortissimo Pinot Noir, would have
made an excellent souvenir but I was out of luck. The
wine is usually sold before it is even bottled, I was told
by Benno Forster, the owner.
I continued along the vineyards on the wine trail
and idling a while. The grapes were round and ready
for harvest, the sheep were bleating, the views were
picture-perfect and the sun was still warm in late sum-
mer … at that moment, I did not wish to be anywhere
else but here.

IF YOU GO

Tourist info: www.bodensee.eu
Restaurant Konzil - www.konzil-konstanz.de
Hopfengut N°20 - www.hopfengut.de
Paddle Steamer Hohentwiel – www.hohentwiel.
com
Bregenz Festival – www.bregenzerfestspiele.com
Pfänder cable car - www.pfaenderbahn.at
Zeppelin flight - www.zeppelinflug.de/en
Treasure Chamber Liechtenstein - www.landesmu
seum.li
Hotel Turna – www.turna.li

The author enjoys a glass of Riesling
on the Weinfelden Wine Trail

186 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018