fun in Liechtenstein

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Friday 26.2.2010 day 136
Liechtenstein
To drive to Liechtenstein, to get there we had to drive from Germany though Switzerland and Austria. So we drove though 4 countries today! Liechtenstein borders Austria on one side and Switzerland on the other were the Rhine is there border. It is in a valley with the Swiss and Austrian alps towering over it. I think that it would be a very hard country to defend. It disbanded it army in 1866 after a military engagement were non of it’s 80 soldiers were killed infract 81 returned including a new Italian ‘friend’. It is the 6th smallest country in the world. It is 25km long and 6km wide. Its head of state is Prince Hans-Adam II and he is said to be worth about uk £3.3 billion. At one point Prince Hans-Adam II threatened to go move to Austria if the people did not back him on a referendum to give him more power and the people did back him. Prince Hans-Adam II has a castle on a hill overlooking his country and invites all 32,000 citizens back to his castle once a year to celebrate Liechtenstein’s National Day. Liechtenstein is the only country in the world named after the family who purchased it. There are 80,000 companies register here that is 2.5 companies for every person living there. Liechtenstein is the world’s largest exporter of false teeth. Until 2005 when worries came to head about the drug TCH, Liechtenstein’s cows were fed hemp to keep them chilled and producing ‘better’ milk.
We are staying a little private owned cottage just outside the capital it has fantastic views of the surrounding Alps with all the snow on them.

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