I left Grindelwald early and met a friend for lunch in Zurich! Kelly and I stayed up late outside our hostel in Aberdeen, Scotland talking to a man named Matt from Mississippi. When he and I realized we would both be in this part of the world at the same time we exchanged e-mail addresses and managed to link up! He took me to lunch for a belated birthday gift (nice southern man), and I loaded us up on Swiss chocolate. This is his second time to Zurich so he gave me a quick tour of the city center on the way back to the train station, while trying to convince me to do the Amazing Race! It was a lot of fun to see a new friend and talk about our travels, our plans, and how strange it will be to head back and look for the next job.

My next train brought me through Lichtenstein to Feldkirch, just over the border into Austria. I got to the hostel in the evening, failed to make it to the grocery store before it closed, and sat on the patio of a really old church nearby reading until it started to get dark. Back at the hostel I chatted with a guy from London who is studying Russian. He said that it’s even hard to get a student visa, so hard that he is vacationing in Kazakstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan rather than trying to get a Russian tourist visa. Talking to him solidified for me that I have made the right decision in flying to Mongolia directly and not take my chances with the embassy.

The next morning I set out to see the old town of Feldkirch, Austria. I stopped at a bakery for a huge apple pastry and had a coffee at an outdoor cafe before the other tourists came out. I walked through a lovely farmers marketplace and continued across the river.

I had mapped out a 2 km route that would take me past four small chapels (all of which were closed unfortunately) and over the hill to Lichtenstein. I don’t feel like I can “count” a country unless I intentionally walk on the soil; for example I don’t count Denmark even though I took a bus (and actually transferred buses) through it on my way to Sweden.

As I was walking along a forest path I had a flashback to a similar path in France, and found myself wondering if any pilgrims have walked here on their way to Santiago de Compostela. And not ten minutes later, what did I notice on the signpost, but a shell of the Camino. Holy Father in Heaven! I had stumbled upon it again, first in Hamburg and now in Austria. Incredible! I followed the Camino up to Lichtenstein and on for a few minutes before turning back to check out of the hostel before noon.

(That valley is basically Lichtenstein, 3 km across)

I guess I’m starting to value my time more, because when I asked the ticket lady for the cheapest way to Füssen (Germany), and it included four changes including an hour on a bus, I opted to spend 20€ more for the fast train with only two changes. Even so it was almost 4 hours of traveling. I checked in to the hostel, washed up, and cooked some dinner. While cooking I was chatting with one of the owners, Christof, who may be in northern India in November (like me!). I also shared the kitchen with Marcus from New Zealand. He has been studying in Italy for 3 months and got hooked on gelato; so after dinner we walked out in the rain on a mission. I had wanted ice cream for weeks and couldn’t justify it, but at 1€ a scoop, I got cherry and dark chocolate on a cone and was a happy girl.

The next morning it was raining so I had a lazy morning, uploading pictures, writing some overdue e-mails, applied for more health insurance, and did some laundry. Around 10:30 the rain let up and I decided to give it a shot; I walked an hour to the famous fairytale castles of King Ludwig II and the rain held off until I got to the ticket booth.

There are two castles here, one where Ludwig grew up (Hohenschwangau) and a second which he built overlooking the first (Neuschwanstein). Supposedly Walt Disney modeled his Cinderella castle after Neuschwanstein, and while it is pretty, I thought some that we saw in Scotland were prettier.

Hohenschwangau:

Neuschwanstein:

Hohenschwangau from the window of Neuschwanstein:

There is a debate about whether the King was crazy or not. He built 3 castles during his rein, only one of which was completed, and mostly depleted his royal loans and personal fortune. The rooms of the castle are mostly painted with scenes from Wegner’s operas, with whom he was obsessed. One room was actually done up like a cave, with dripping stalactites and everything. Towards the end he took to sleeping during the day and sitting awake at night, and after there was an attempt to arrest him for being mad, he mysteriously drowned in a nearby lake with his psychiatrist. It had been his wish that all of his castles be razed when he died so they would not become a public spectacle, however it only took 6 weeks after his death for Neuschwanstein to be turned in to a museum and see it’s first tourists.

Last night I had dinner and a beer with an Australian guy staying in the hostel; I forgot that the stores close on Sunday! We had a great time, but somehow the more people I talk to the more lonely I feel. I woke up somewhat morose; no plans for today and although it isn’t raining the sun hasn’t come out. I’m currently sitting at the base of a large stone cross memorial to someone (the signs are all in German) overlooking the town of Füssen. Sitting here I was wondering what’s getting me down, and then a hummingbird moth, my favorite insect that I used to catch with my bare hands on Mom’s butterfly bushes back home in CT, stopped at the flowers next to me, looking jolly as always. I’m never that far from home, it seems. This is labor day weekend (I think?) and I think about what I might be doing if I was in Vermont; swimming in the lake, an overnight hike, a quick visit to my Mom’s house or a friend’s cabin. I have no regrets so far and I think it is probably a healthy thing, to think about the good I have in my life, no matter where I may be.

Now I’m off to see what kinds of baked goodies I can find and try to have fun! I decided I need to add on some insulation before I get to Siberia in a week! Off for a wander.