Border towns and neutral countries
I left Trier to continue south along the Germany-France border, taking in Völklingen and Strasbourg. Moving along this border, and visiting several museums, made it clear how much the EU means here. It isn’t just an economic union, but after centuries of war and border disputes, a means of achieving peace. I felt that this point was dismissively brushed away during the Brexit debates, but it is very important here.
Völklingen is in the Saar region, a former industrial heartland of Germany. It is home to an enormous ironworks that closed in 1986 and is now a World Heritage site. It has been converted into a museum, not just of the ironworks itself, but also with scientific and global cultural exhibitions. I found the layout extremely confusing, but it was impressive to walk amongst the enormous machinery.
I intended to take the train to Strasbourg the next day, but was hit by the first day of the French train strike. Luckily, nowhere is particularly distant in Europe, so it was easy enough to take a bus for a couple of hours instead. Strasbourg is a pretty city, famous for its old timber-framed buildings along the canals and a gothic cathedral. It has changed hands between France and Germany many times, so it has influences from both cultures — French cuisine, German beer, architecture from both, etc.
Strasbourg was my last city before going to visit friends in Switzerland. It was great to see Annelie in Basel, catching up over dinner in the sunshine looking over the Rhine. We also stumbled across the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition which I’d missed in London, which was as excellent as ever. It was only a short stop in Basel as I was moving on to Vevey to see Cindy, Julien and their son, Sam. We took several small trips to hike in the snow, take a boat across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva to the English speakers) to visit Évian, and marvel at the mountains and lakes surrounding Interlaken and Brienz. I really enjoyed meeting these friends made on previous trips again, and seeing them in their own country.
From Vevey, I went across to Liechtenstein for another ‘country grab’. The small nation, with a population of 37,000, lies between Switzerland and Austria and is ruled by Prince Hans-Adam II. Although you can’t go inside, the views across the valley from his official residence, Vaduz Castle, are fantastic. The streets of Vaduz have a lot of modern sculptures, and the city is host to an important art gallery as well. I feel like I could actually spend some more time here, to go hiking in the mountains, although it is very expensive.
For now, I plan on seeing some more friends across Germany and Austria before starting my journey proper in Eastern Europe.
