Goodbye to Liechtenstein

We learned so much about Liechtenstein; it is one of the smallest countries of the world, yet one of the most industrial countries per capita. It has a population of 35,000 and has 32,000 businesses. The country is magestic in it's beauty, so green and lush. It is nestled in a valley surrounded by the Swiss Alps, and in the center of the valley is the Rhine river, which separates Liechtenstein by Switzerland. The people are so friendly and the country is so clean.

The government of Liechtenstein is unique in that it is a monarchy with a democratic base. The parliament is elected by the people, then the parliament elects the Prime Minister and his assistants. Liechtenstein has a prince, Hans-Adam II. On Thursday we had a tour of Vaduz, the country's capital which sits below the castle where the Prince resides (picture below). We also toured his winery and got to taste the different wines from the region. Also on the agenda, was a tour of the Liechtenstein Post Office with the CEO of the postal service. We got to see the efficient and very fast machines which sort out the country's mail.

The Vaterland newspaper of Liechtenstein, took our picture and printed an article about our visit to their country. The article gave information about the GSE exchange program that Rotary offers to young business professionals. On Friday, we had lunch with the Eschnerberg Rotary Club of Liechtenstein, where we gave our presentations once again in German. The Liechtensteiners were so gracious in hosting us and gave us so many opportunities to see both their beautiful country and the Alps in Switzerland. We once again had an amazing week and met so many wonderful friends.