O Gemütlichkeit
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Dear GEMüTLICHKEIT Subscriber The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland See Liechtenstein in a Day (Our publisher is on a short sabbatical. An Epicurean’s Guide Here’ is a Dear Subscriber column from 1999.) What we enjoyed most about a to Switzerland recent visit to Liechtenstein was renting a car for a day and getting out into the ood lovers spend millions, Switzerland. It, too, qualifies as a countryside, stopping here and there to perhaps even billions, on cu- legitimate gastronomic destination. enjoy a view or a peek inside a church. F linary tours, cooking schools Go there for the fine wines, distilled Foolishly, we didn’t plan well and and hugely expensive restaurants spirits, local products (chestnuts, wound up looking for a one-day rental in France, Italy and Spain. Even Bel- saffron, fruits) and dine at its 100 on a Saturday morning. Most agencies gium and Greece attract the adven- Michelin-starred restaurants spread were closed but we found one small turous palate. But Switzerland? The over the German, French and operator (Linsi Tours, tel. +41/075/392 land of Rösti and meat, far from any Italian-speaking regions. Go to find 1388) who delivered to our hotel the sea? Not so much. distinctly regional foods in village only vehicle he had available, a very Justly, the coun- markets and rustic inns along the by Sharon Hudgins comfortable 7-passenger Peugeot van. try’s renown is back roads. In a country that pro- Next morning he retrieved his van and for spectacular scenery, world-class duces 450 different cheeses, makes dropped us at the rail station in Sar- museums, precision technology 350 varieties of sausage, annually gans. The car cost $215, the pickup and (watches, clocks, trains), cheese and consumes more chocolate per per- delivery was free. chocolate. But for the traveler will- son than anywhere else on earth, We wanted to see Gutenberg Castle ing to look beyond the Sunday travel and makes unusual wines found in Balzers, the ski area at Malbun, and, section and slick magazine publicity only in certain small regions, the di- even though it sounded like kid stuff, given to the more popular foodie lemma is in deciding where to start. the so-called “Heidiland,” over the destinations, a lifetime of good tastes Here are a couple approaches to border into Switzerland, which surpris- awaits among the breathtakingly culinary touring in Switzerland: ingly turned out to be the best part of beautiful mountains and lakes of the day. Continued on page 3… Even on our 1:200,000 scale map of this area, some roads and villages mentioned here are in very faint print Affordable Castle or simply not shown. Before setting out ne of the many joys of Euro- moated, stone castle in the tiny village you should probably stop at the tourist pean travel is a category of of Sommersdorf about 12 km straight office for directions and advice. Oovernight accommodation south of Anspach along the Frankfurt- Here’s our rough itinerary: Leave that simply doesn’t exist in North Nürnberg autobahn. Vaduz via the Red Road #28 south American—the gemütlich little hotel A mere 460 years ago the family toward Sargans. Look for signs to Maels and restaurant operated for decades von Crailsheim signed escrow papers which is behind or south of Balzers. by the same family. at the local title company and took You’ll begin to see glimpses of the cas- by Bob Bestor Yes, there are bed over the castle. Of course, they still tle. (Tip: always keep the castle on your and breakfasts in many of our cities own it today. left). On Echolz Str. in Maels find the but rarely do they have a restaurant pretty little Chapel of Maria Hilfe. and in our town of Ashland, Oregon, Then 15 years ago, the current Returning to the main road, there (home to about 60 of them) the Las occupant and major domo, Baron will be fine views of the castle spiral- Vegas over-under betting on burnout Manfred von Crailsheim, a physician ing up out of the vineyards and the old for B&B proprietors is about four years. practicing in Anspach, converted stone church at its right. If you have One could argue this point, but surely a portion of the interior into small children along, there is a playground it is beyond dispute that one Euro- apartments and guest bedrooms below the castle. pean hotel category is totally without which are now available to rent. At the main road go right toward a North American counterpart—the Continued on page 11… small, family-owned castle. Our fa- Switzerland and Maienfeld. Driving up Exchange rates as of 3/28/13 the gentle slope just at the border, you’ll vorite example of this genre is Schloss 1 euro = $1.28 see battlements from World War I when Haunsperg, near Salzburg. Another is Swiss franc = $1.05 Continued on page 2… Schloss Sommersdorf, an 800-year-old 1 gal. diesel, Germany=$6.84 www.gemut.com March 2013 www.gemut.com “Like” us at Facebook.com/Gemut.com DEAR SUBSCRIBER signs to Chur and Fläsch, you can buy a museum rates a 30-minute visit, longer if Continued from page 1 bottle or two of the wine for which the you decide to watch the film in English. town is famous. Then just before the tunnel, the final Liechtenstein was aligned with Austria. Continue in the direction of Chur link to Malbun, is a small restaurant, the The fortifications were put there to keep and at the town center note the mural on Rizlina. Its deck has a wonderful view the Austrians out of Switzerland. the Rathaus wall depicting members of down the Rhine Valley and the simple Then, in a park-like section of open the 1797 city council. food is worth a stop. fields and forests, you’re suddenly in a Further on, at the train station, you Leaving Rizlina, continue up the Swiss military training area. The real- can pick up a Heidiweg pamphlet from mountain to the aforementioned narrow istic Swiss village on your left with the the kiosk. From the station look for signs tunnel. Watch the signal when entering; boarded windows is deserted. To the to Jenins where Gasthof Bündte (tel. proceed only if there is a flashing yellow right is more training apparatus; various 41/081/302 1223) specializes in air-dried light. Stop if it is red. jumps, obstacles, and overhead cables. meats and local wines. In Steg is cross-country skiing, a Ahead is the narrow, arched fortress Beyond the Bündte, go right at the toboggan run, and a small rustic hotel. gate through which you’ll drive (in the stop sign—back toward Maienfeld— Malbun, at the end of the road, is where uphill direction you have the right- driving up through vineyards toward the Prince Charles skis when visiting Hans of-way), and a good spot for a picture Heidihof Hotel. At the large barn con- Adam II, prince of Liechtenstein. down the valley. tinue straight on. This road runs beside On the way back down the moun- Go on through the fortress, past the high walls protecting the vineyards. You tain, just past the Rizlina, turn right to stables and out a second gate. This rock- are headed toward Vaduz, actually on Rotenboden. Here, the road is narrow lined road is the old San Bernardino route. the Heidiweg, a very narrow track which with rock walls on the uphill side and Pass through tiny St. Luzisteig and you may have to share with walkers, es- wood railings on downhill. The Restau- start down hill. This is “Heidiland,” the pecially in summer. At the four corners, rant Samina has a reputation for good region that inspired Johanna Spyri’s tales continue straight to the main road where food and excellent views from its terrace. you go right, back toward Vaduz. of the little Swiss girl and her grandfather. From this point, you can return to Stop at the “P4” sign to see the Heidi In Triesen turn right toward Malbun. the valley by way of Triesenberg. RHB Ascending the hill, look high above the fountain built with donations from Using Gemütlichkeit school children. If you’ve brought food road for a rambling, modern, yellow house. It is the former home of actor, • Hotel prices listed are for one night. Dis- this is a good place to picnic. counts are often available for longer stays. Oscar Werner (Ship of Fools). He is bur- Here you can join two Heidi trails, • All hotel prices include breakfast unless ied in Triesen where he frequented the otherwise noted. the shortest is about 90 minutes round Restaurant Linde. Luzia Kindle, Linde’s • Local European telephone area codes trip and includes the “Heidihaus” and owner, sometimes shows visitors a book carry the “0” required for in-country dialing. the wine village of Maienfeld. The To phone establishments from outside the of poems written by Werner which he country, such as from the USA, do not dial second, about four hours, winds much gave her. the first “0”. higher to the “Heidialp” and through the Back Issues Website village of Jenins. Ignore signs to Heidi- From this road, you have the op- Chapel of St. hof, it is a modern, uninteresting hotel. tion of a side trip to the Many back issues are available free to subscribers Mamerten where a wine festival takes at www.gemut.com. To access the issues, enter the Drive on toward Maienfeld, enjoying place annually on the weekend after the password published in this space each month.