Very amusing piece. Spent part of a day in Liechtenstein on a drive from Switzerland to Austria several years ago. Can't believe I actually know some of those places mentioned...
Liechtenstein is quite funny, you can walk through it in a couple of hours, and then say "I walked through a whole country"...
Amusing read. I know Liechtenstein inside out since my grandparents live right across the Rhein (Buchs).
My favorite part 9: Liechtenstein was accidentally invaded by Switzerland in 1997 when some Swiss soldiers on exercise read their map incorrectly, mistakenly crossed the border and attempted to commandeer the house of a grandmother in Triesenberg. She chased them away with a broom and the Swiss were forced to issue an official apology to Liechtenstein.
That article was a great one. The story of the invasion was almost as good as the one about L'Esclade in Geneva when in 1602 a woman to stop the Savoyards from taking her house dumped hot stew on them and then threw the kettle at them. That is why if you are ever in Geneva around the first part of December, you see the chocolate kettles everywhere in Migros (which is a great store).
Here's the Lonely Planet guide. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/liechtenstein/ The royal family also is demanding compensation for 1600 sq. kilometers in the Czech Republic that was seized in 1918.
"4: Liechtenstein has had no standing army since 1866, when an 80-strong battalion marched off to the Franco-Prussian war. They saw no action, lost no men, and the most exciting thing about their tour of duty was a freak blizzard in the mountain pass they were guarding (it was August). In fact they returned with 81 soldiers - they'd made friends with an Austrian corporal on the way home. " Friendly, non-violent people. "5: Unemployment in Liechtenstein stands at 1 per cent, or 300 people. In 1980 the unemployment figure was 3. Not 3 per cent, 3 people. " Solid economy. I'm moving there! "7: In 2001 a German television documentary team decided to film a drive from one end of Liechtenstein to the other. It took nineteen minutes. " That's too funny. I also liked Soccernet match tracker's coverage of the pregame stuff yesterday. "And now national anthem fun ensues...both nations use the same song. Does the band get paid double for having to play the same music twice in a row?"
The fellow who wrote this article (Charlie Connelly) also penned the book "Stamping Grounds," in which he follows the Liechtenstein NT through their qualifying games for the 2002 WC. If you liked the soccernet piece, you'll love the book (no, I am not his agent--I just enjoyed reading the book!).