European Microstates

May 26–Jun 4, 2017
AC7716 IAH-YYZ, AC834 YYZ-YUL, AC784 YUL-LYS, AC829 LYS-YUL, AC7685 YUL-IAH

It is fun to keep track of the number of countries that I visit, and fill in my visited map of the world.  Each year I try to get a few new countries under my belt, and although we’ve already visited much of Europe, there’s still a surprising number of countries we have not yet visited.  Europe’s storied history has created a number of interesting micro-states, including the tiny Andorra, Liechtenstein and the larger Luxembourg that were all new to us.  To cover these new countries, I built an itinerary around flights to Lyon, France.  In addition to checking out these new countries, we explored some new areas of France and Switzerland and managed to visit France, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg on our 10 day trip.

May 27

After our overnight flight through Montreal, we made our way to the hotel.  Although we were a bit jet lagged, we planned to leave first thing the next morning, as we needed to make the most of the day.  We had chosen Lyon based on flights and its location as a base for covering the other countries, but otherwise didn't have high expectations for the city.  Fortunately, Lyon was a pleasant surprise, with a number of interesting historic sites including some well restored Roman Ruins.

St. Jean-Baptiste Cathedral in old Lyon

Cathedral candles

Cathedral crypt

After a ride up the funicular view of the city from upper city district of Fourviere 

Notre Dame Basilica in Fourviere

One of the many antiquities in the Gallo Roman Museum

Elaborate Roman mosaic tile floor

Very expressive Roman statue

Largely restored Roman amphitheatre

Riding the funicular back to the lower city

Looking across the Saone, one of two rivers intersecting the city

Different perspective on St. Jean-Baptiste Cathedral

Looking back up at Fourviere and the cathedral

1661 Lyon astronomical clock in the cathedral

Lyon city hall from the Place des Terreaux public square

After a busy day sunny day exploring Lyon, we crashed relatively early to rest up for the rest of our journey.

May 28

After an early breakfast, we picked up our rental car and started our drive towards Andorra.

Statue in Andorra la Vella town centre with surrounding mountainside

Sant Esteve d'Andorra La Vella

Modern statue aesthetic in the town center

With a long day of driving, we had only a few hours to explore the small town of Andorra and enjoyed some local cuisine.  

May 29

After a really long day on the road yesterday, today we started in Andorra and covered only two countries, heading back to France over a different mountain pass.  Other than Andorra we covered some familiar territory as we headed back to the Medieval Walled City of Carcassonne, one of the first stops on our first European trip over 20 years ago.

We started the day heading up the mountains that make up the border of the small country

One of a number of small stone churches throughout the countryside

Heading into France there is a huge duty free complex; a big driver of the local economy

Despite the fog, we made our way to the Castle at Montségur

Large castle walls of 13th Century Montségur Castle

Lizard exploring the ruins

Clouds still shroud the castle as we hike back down to the parking lot

Our first entry into Carcassonne Castle gates

First layer of the castle

Main chapel 

One of the additional gates

Interior of the old city

Looking back on the walled city as we make our way into the new town

Strong bridge cuts through a park in the new town

Full view of the walled city

Still cannot get enough of the old city

May 30

Having covered Carcassonne the night before, we continue our journey towards Liechtenstein, backtracking a bit before we head north towards Switzerland.  Although our final destination is Evian on Lake Geneva, we stopped in the town of Annecy at the edge of the French Alps.  As well as exploring the town we stopped at the Evian water source, to sample some of the fresh water fresh from the spring.

Basilique de la Visitation towers over Annecy

Saint Francois de Sales Church

Locals enjoying the spring weather

Chateau D’Annecy

End of river flowing into Lake Annecy

Annecy River cutting through the old town

Making our way around Lake Annecy and the surrounding mountains

Evian city hall

Evian Casino

Looking across Lake Geneva to Switzerland from our hotel at sunset

May 31

After filling our containers with Evian water, we headed towards Switzerland and on to Liechtenstein and our second microstate.  As the weather in the north was a bit cloudy, we decided to take a detour through Northern Italy before heading back north to Liechtenstein.  With a full day of driving, we had the evening in Liechtenstein and decided to check out the border town of Feldkirch, Austria, before grabbing dinner in Liechtenstein.

Swiss snow-covered Alps at Jungfrau-Aletsch near Raron, close to the Italian border

Stopping along the road to check out the mountains

Checking out the view from the bridge over the Diveria River

View from the bridge and winding mountain road, heading towards Italy near Gabi, Switzerland

Further up the Diveria, closer to the Italian border

Small San Guilio oratory in Druogno, in the Italian Alps, with the “Mountain Garden” sculptures outside

Back in Switzerland, cutting through the mountains near Cappella Pian San Giacomo

June 1

The day started a bit grey and crowd covered, but we made our way up the mountain to Liechtenstein Castle, before heading back across Switzerland to Alsace France and ultimately towards Luxembourg, our final microstate.  We stopped at the very picturesque Eguisheim, before ended the way in the equally charming Colmar. 

Early morning at Liechtenstein Castle

Better perspective on the royal residence from the town below

Very modern museum in the town centre

Cobbled old streets of Eguisheim have a very Beauty in the Beast vibe

A bit of local colour

Storks nesting on the top of the castle in Eguisheim

Statue beneath the watch stork

More active surveillance from the stork

Following the Alsace Wine Route, panoramic view from war cemetery near Sigolsheim

More stork imagery in the Alsace

Riquewihr is one of the most touristed on the wine road

Some of the many religious artifacts in the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar

More statue in the Unterlinden Museum

The museum also has historic wine making exhibits for this famous French wine region

Canals cut through historic Colmar in Petite Venise

Maison Pfister a richly decorated merchant’s house from the 16th century

June 2

After an enjoyable day yesterday in the Alsace, we started the day in Strasbourg, another highlight in the region, before making our final push to Luxembourg and our final microstate.  To get to Luxembourg, we cut through Germany, adding to our total country count for the trip and allowing us to pick up some pretzels to fuel our journey.  Although Luxembourg was the largest of our destinations, we didn't really get outside of the centre, but did enjoy exploring the city.

Strasbourg Cathedral, begun in 1176 with 466’ spire, was the world tallest until the mid-1800s

Impressive cathedral interior

15th century astronomical clock in the cathedral performs every 15 minutes

View as we near the top of the cathedral

Looking down on the giant cathedral and the town below

Exploring the canals and locks that cut the Strasbourg

Charming Alsatian architecture

Ponts Couvert on the edge of the Grand Isle of the old city

Broader perspective of the island from the enclosed Barrage Vauban bridge

Entwurf für eine Große Figur III (2004) Bronze Statue at the Galerie Clairefontaine

Looking up on the old city walls of Luxembourg

Descending into the lower city

Part of the Chemin de al Corniche high road that encircles part of the upper city

Grand Ducal Palace in the centre of Luxembourg

Place de la Consitution, with Pont Adolphe spanning the Peitruss River valley

June 3

For the last full day of the trip, we had originally planned to stay in the town of Beaune, in the Burgundy wine region.  However, the weather was quite gray with threats of rain, so we decided to head back to Lyon prior and explore the region on our way through.

Interior courtyard of the Hotel-Dieu (hospital) museum in Beaune

Flattened oak barrels ready for the next crop of wine

Driving the Vineyard Route cliff views near St-Romain

Chateau de la Rocheport

June 4

After a quiet night in Lyon, we flew home on Sunday morning through Montreal, for our first day off the road, ending our 9 country tour and countries 78 and 79 for me.