SWITZERLAND - 2026

Switzerland with a touch of Austria and a dash of Liechenstein.

🎶 A Quick Dash to Salzburg

Well, because we were only about a two-hour drive from the beautiful Austrian city of Salzburg, we thought… why not! After all, when you’re this close to one of the most famous musical cities in the world, it almost feels rude not to visit.

It turned out to be a great little side trip. One of the highlights was wandering through the stunning Mirabell Gardens, complete with the famous Pegasus Fountain made well known from The Sound of Music. The gardens were beautifully maintained with spring flowers everywhere, and you could almost picture Julie Andrews skipping through the pathways singing at the top of her lungs.

Thankfully though, we never found the rolling green hills from the movie… and honestly, that was probably for the best. If we had, it would have just been another excuse for Digby to burst into song — usually with half the words wrong and the other half made up as he went along.

It’s already been bad enough travelling through Germany listening to endless renditions of “The Happy Wanderer.” with “Val-deri, val-dera, val-deri, val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha on repeat.

Still, Salzburg was absolutely charming, between the old baroque buildings, the mountain views and the relaxed atmosphere, it felt like one of those places that instantly puts you in a good mood. Even if you do leave with a soundtrack stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein – The Country We Almost Missed

Well, we more or less just happened upon Liechtenstein while travelling through the mountains, and before we knew it, we were driving through one of the smallest countries in the world.

Now when I say small, I mean really small. The entire country is only about 160 square kilometres with a population of less than 42,000 people, yet somehow it’s also known as one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. It’s the sort of place where you could probably blink at the wrong moment and accidentally drive straight through it — which, to be fair, we almost did.

In fact, I think we were only actually in the country for about 8 kilometres, but even in that short distance we noticed something immediately — the locals seem to have a pretty good sense of humour.

One of the first things we saw was a sign proudly announcing: “One Country and One McDonald’s.” There was something wonderfully self-aware about it, as if they know exactly how tiny their country is and have decided to embrace it completely. Even the roadside safety billboards had funny little messages on them, which made the drive surprisingly entertaining.

It may have only been a brief visit, but it ended up being one of those unexpected little travel moments that stick in your memory. After all, how often do you accidentally drive through an entire country before lunchtime?

🇨🇭 Switzerland – Mountains, Lakes and a Little Confusion

After days of driving through wide open countryside and rolling farmland, suddenly we were surrounded by towering mountain ranges, winding roads and scenery that seemed to change around every single bend. Every valley opened up to another picture-perfect view, and every lake somehow looked even more beautiful than the last.

One of our stops was the lovely city of Lucerne, and once again we found ourselves in a vibrant town buzzing with people coming and going from both the land and the lake. Like so many European towns, Lucerne has managed to preserve its old-world charm while still feeling alive and energetic. Historic buildings, waterfront promenades and narrow streets all combined to make it a wonderful place just to wander around and soak in the atmosphere.

But if there is one thing you absolutely shouldn’t miss, it’s a trip up Mount Pilatus. The mountain scenery was incredible, but what made it even more special was how quickly the conditions changed. Every five minutes the landscape seemed different as mist and low cloud rolled in and out across the peaks. One moment you had crystal clear mountain views, and the next everything disappeared into swirling cloud before suddenly revealing itself again. It was like watching nature constantly repaint the same scene.

I only got a short clip, but the sound reverberates around the mountains.

From there we continued driving through the mountains, crossing the spectacular Brünig Pass before heading down towards Interlaken. The weather had finally turned perfect — a balmy 18 degrees with blue skies — and the skies above Interlaken were absolutely filled with paragliders. They must have all been waiting patiently for the first calm sunny day because there were dozens of them floating gracefully above the town and mountains.

The drive from Interlaken to Hofstetten alongside Lake Thun was simply stunning. The water was that unbelievable turquoise colour you only seem to find in alpine lakes, with snow-capped mountains rising behind it. It honestly looked like one of those travel posters that can’t possibly be real — except this one was.

Just another chalet along the way!

Now, while the scenery was unforgettable, there was one ongoing issue throughout the day… Digby kept calling Switzerland “Sweden.” At first it was funny, but after correcting him about ten times it started becoming a serious concern. It got so bad that we eventually ended up at an axe-throwing event just to try and get this whole Swedish thing out of his system once and for all and for me to get rid of some frustration.

From here we made a quick hop across the border back into France and came across a city called Annecy and what a beautiful surprise this town was, it is nicknamed the "Pearl of the French Alps", even though this was our first major day of rain since leaving Scotland, it did allow for some dramatic photo’s.

Now it is off to Lyon to return the hire car before heading to London to spend the next two weeks with Digby’s extended family.

So from Digby and I, we hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with us on this incredible journey across some of Europe. We’ve seen castles, mountains, lakes, tiny countries, old villages and more breathtaking scenery than we could have imagined.

So for now its, So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu / Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.

© Michelle Brown 2026. All photographs and content on this blog are the property of the author and are protected by copyright laws. Unauthorised use, reproduction, or distribution is prohibited without prior written permission.