4 Countries, 1 Day: A Fantastic Voyage

Leaping for Liechtenstein!  The highlight of our crazy day had to have been the small, but incredibly cool, country of Liechtenstein.  (Also the world's top producer of false teeth.)

HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE QUALITY OF A DAY?

Such is the question I pose after experiencing a thrilling ride home from Milan through the Swiss Alps and back to our home in Innsbruck, Austria.  It was an incredible experience, and one that is hard to compare to normal days back home.  

You could begin by counting the number of different countries you hit: 4.  

Or the number of miles driven: 376.

Or better yet, the meals you ate:  

Pesto Linguine at Lake Como for lunch.

Juicy Ribs in St. Anton for dinner.

But even that doesn't paint the full picture.  Instead, here's a little "photo-essay" of our crazy ride north, and should hopefully help nudge you to taking a visit here 'across the pond' - because where else can you experience such a variety of things in such a short period of time.  Only on the "REALLY PLAYING FOR PIZZA ROADTRIP!"

7:58 am: I awake to discover that our hotel in Milan was officially recommended by none other than Raiders Offensive-Line Coach NICK JOHANSEN!  No wonder it was such a great place to stay!  (And they had free cappuccino, a big bonus!)

9:03 am: On our way out of Milan, our trusty GARMIN wanted to point out EVERY SINGLE PIZZA JOINT POSSIBLE.  Click on the picture to get a true grasp of how many pizza places there are in a large Italian town!

9:45 am: First Stop -- SAN SIRO STADIUM in Milan.  This world class facility plays home to not one but two of the world's top soccer clubs: AC MILAN and INTER MILAN (that's the jersey I'm wearing.)  The closest thing I can compare it to is the Meadowlands in New Jersey which hosts both the NY Giants and the NY Jets.

9:48am: Yes... the Curva Nord is strong here in Milano... all the way since 1969.  (Bryan Adams wrote a song about them didn't he?)

10:07 am: Christie poses with an AC Milan statue, which may or may not be of recently signed David Beckham.

10:31 am: Matt holds up his favorite player's jersey on AC Milan, Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho.  Isn't that Jerry Rice's number?

10:45am: On our way out of the stadium, and despite numerous "eeeempossible's" from stadium security, I make a mad dash down a ramp and snap this shot of the interior of the stadium.  I was severely scolded and given 14 hand gestures, but it was worth it!

11:45 am: Heading north out of Milan, we reached the city of Como on the south banks of Lake Como, one of the most picturesque and exclusive lakes in the world.  These sleepy cities come alive in the summer and are absolutely gorgeous.

12:03 pm: Following the book "1,000 Things to See Before you Die" we hit up #347, the Villa D'Este hotel, from which "all other luxury hotels in the world take their cue."  While I didn't find it that extravegant, it had an amazing view and a lunch menu that averaged $54 per item.  We decided to move on.

12:37am: A half hour north of D'Este we found a cool lake site ristorante where we had the place to ourselves.  We dined on pesto linguine and seafood spaghetti, with of course Tiramisu for desert.  While chatting with the waiter, Christie learned that George Clooney might live within one kilometer of the restaurant.  On goes her reporter hat...

12:45pm: The tiny village of Laglio on the west side of Lake Como has a post-card worthy harbor (and excellent screen saver :-)  It also boasts...

12:46 pm: A fisherman who happens to be George (not Clooney) but knows the location of that ruggedly handsome actor that we all know and love.  Look at the intensity on Christie's face as she studies where the lone fisherman points.  And it really is... 

12:47pm: GEORGE CLOONEY'S HOUSE!!!  Yes, Mr. Suave lives here, and has a palatial mansion that is complete with its own gated boat parking (for the Bat Boat?) and acres of gardens.  While the fisherman told us George is currently in the U.S., he failed to mention that David Beckham and Posh were house-sitting!  If only we would have known...

2:11 pm: Pushing north, we burst into Switzerland and straight into the Alps.  Breathtaking!

2:33 pm: The four amigos were loving life, although we had to strap Matt down in the back to keep him from trying to ski.

2:56 pm: The snow was THIS tall!

3:55 pm: Breathtaking mountains.

4:15 pm: Snowed in huts.

4:33 pm: Snow that looks like marshmallows.

5:45pm: As the sun ducked behind the mountains, tiny villages like this one here (driving too fast to jot down its name) became lit up in a spotlight.

6:55 pm: On our way north, we stopped by the twin ski villages of Davos and Klosters.  They are also on the list of 1,000 Things to See, and in the winter they play host to the British Royal Family as their piste of choice.  

8:08pm: Seeing the Liechtenstein border made us jump for joy!  Rock on Liechtenstein!

8:44 pm: Bold.  Powerful.  Really Small.  Liechtenstein welcomes visitors to its peaceful valley.

8:49pm: The castle in Vaduz, the capital city of Liechtenstein, still is home to the royal family.  As Europe's last remaining true monarchy, the royals are also the richest - estimated to be worth around $4 Billion.  (This allows the young prince to date Victoria Secret models.)

10:08pm: Is there any way better to cap off the night than with a hearty "Prost" in St. Anton?

~ J. Twice