Without a doubt, Liechtenstein tops my “Cool Places I’ve Traveled To” list. For small nation flanked by popular destinations on all sides, Liechtenstein packs plenty of beauty into little square mileage. While Vaduz is its capital, I found the tiny ski-resort town of Malbun to be the country’s shining star. Getting to Malbun requires a little adventure on the driver’s part; thankfully, Kevin is the designated driver in Europe, since I can’t drive manual cars, and he masterfully maneuvered the car around tiny hairpin turns on a winding road that went up an Alp.
I’m telling you, some of the roads in the Alps are a slightly nerve wracking. They’re well-maintained, but they are narrow and full of curves, and many tour buses attempt to drive on streets that are definitely not wide enough.
While you can read an in-depth recounting of our adventures in Liechtenstein here, I simply didn’t have enough space in my previous article to share all of the fabulous photographs I took in Malbun. So, I’ve collected all of my photographs from Malbun and its impeccable Alpine viewpoint and put them together in one place.
The tiny town of Malbun, Liechtenstein, composed mostly of exclusive B&Bs and small cattle farms. Despite the seemingly sizable number of tour buses and cars, we had the entire ski lift and scenic viewpoint to ourselves.
Kevin and I definitely fawned over these cows as we rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain, and a few days later, when we were wandering the streets of Istanbul, Kevin the vegetarian salivated over the variety of meats. I reminded him about the cows of Liechtenstein, happily grazing with their cow family, and he reaffirmed his commitment to vegetarianism. A few Turkish cows ought to send their thanks to these little grazers pictured above.
The farms of Malbun, which remind me of those in rural Norway. A beautiful, quiet scene as Kevin and I sat in the ski lift to reach the top of the mountain.
I was deep in concentration, working my hardest not to slip in the mud. Also, the temperature was below 32 degrees Fahrenheit at this point, and I’m grossly under-dressed and therefore freezing. We visited in early September!
This is one of my favorite photos from our entire trip to Central Europe. Kevin seems to be so in touch with nature, and the scenery surrounding him looks so massive and monumental in comparison. I find this to be an incredibly serene image, which makes sense – the peak of an Alp in Liechtenstein is a pretty serene place, and I feel as though this photograph best conveys the feeling Kevin and I had atop that mountain. I’d never been in such awe before.
I know, Kevin definitely has a little difficulty keeping his eyes open for the camera, but he still photographs well. Jealous. There is a small cafe at this lookout, although it was closed for the season at the time of our visit.
Yes, that is Kevin trying to get cell service on the top of an Alp in Liechtenstein.
We finally figured out the selfie stick, y’all. Perfect timing, too, since we had the entire mountaintop to ourselves, which in traveler terms is another way of saying there was no one else around to take our picture.
We knew it was time for us to head back down when the fog started to roll in and the view disappeared. Also, at this point, it had started to snow, which turned to rain about halfway down the slope.
Conclusion: if you ever find yourself planning a visit to Switzerland, Bavaria, Austria, or Northern Italy, make the time to stop in Malbun, Liechtenstein, if only to ride this one-in-a-lifetime ski lift.
