Before heading back to Germany, we decided to take a trip to the fourth smallest country in Europe, Liechtenstein. It is just 62 sq. miles across and the only country that is located entirely in the Alps, bordered by Switzerland on the west and Austria on the east.

Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy, headed by a prince who's ancestors spent years yearning for power. They eventually made enough money to purchase a strip of Rhine floodplain and adjacent mountains. This made them a sovereign member of the Holy Roman Empire and its borders have remained unchanged since 1434.

We made our way to Vaduz, the capital city, to see the Vaduz Castle which sits high on a steep hill in the middle of the town. It is the official residence of the Prince of Lichtenstein and his family.

We parked the cars just up the hill from the castle. Carson was asleep in his car seat, so we left him in the car and walked down hoping to get a quick tour. Turns out it is not open to the public, but that didn't stop us from wandering up the driveway and looking through the gates. We snapped some pictures, half expecting some guards to come and kick us off the premises, found some souvenirs, and headed back to Heidelberg.  That's it for country #4!