Oetzi may have been hiking in these hills 5000 years ago. I did last summer. I had it much easier than he did, though. I took the cable car.

Fiery Furnas: Steamy cauldrons in the Azores
As the plane descends, my youngest daughter exclaims: “Look! The earth is boiling.” And it is! From above, the Furnas Valley looks mysterious and misty. A few minutes later we land on São Miguel, the largest island in the Azores archipelago. About halfway between Britain and America, the Azores islands are volcanic and verdant, and [...]

St Moritz in September
Ah, St Moritz. The name brings to mind a gorgeous summer holiday in Torquay. I was 16 and he was tall, blond, a little shy and had the most beautiful smile. I’ll call him Hanspeter, because that was his name. When business took me to St Moritz one September day a few years ago, well, [...]

Flirting with Fate in the Faroe Islands
Oyggjarvegur, the old mountain road from Torshavn, the tiny capital of the Faroes, towards the northern islands, is spectacular. But then, nothing less is to be expected in the world’s best island-destination. In places, there are no barriers between us and a 1000-foot drop into the chilling waters of the North Atlantic fjord. We edge [...]

Malbun
Malbun is a lovely mountain village in Liechtenstein, accessible by foot, by car or by the post bus. I choose the latter. In the village, I take a chair lift up to Sareisergrat, 2 003 metres up. Not that high, but all the more pleasant – never mind the rickety lift contraption. The mountains are [...]

Border bridge: Liechtenstein and Switzerland
Border bridge: Liechtenstein to the left, Switzerland to the right. I jump: Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland…

One night in Vaduz
Liechtenstein is essentially a family firm, headed by His Serene Highness Hans Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, who lives in Schloss Vaduz.







