A “vignette” is a small, colored
sticker affixed to your car windshield to indicate that you have paid the “road
tax”. It can be purchased for a valid period of 1 year, or as little as 10
days. On our drive from Munich to Italy, we knew that we would be passing very
briefly thru Austria, before heading on into Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Our
friends had told us that we wouldn’t be in Austria long enough that we’d have
to worry about it.
Driving thru Austria consisted of
traveling a series of extensive tunnels that bore literally right thru the
Alps. At the end of one such tunnel, we came into a small, picturesque village.
Fearful of the “Road Tax” police pulling us over and fining us up to 300 Euro
for tax evasion, I elected to pull in for gas and to purchase my vignette. The
girl behind the counter willingly sold me a 10 day vignette for the low price
of 8 Euro. Newly affixed to our windshield, I pulled out of the gas station,
turned left, drove 100 yards and over a bridge. At the end of the bridge was a
Swiss flag and a “Welcome to Switzerland” sign. I had driven legally in Austria
for about 30 seconds, and for only the low price of 8 Euro.
We laughed for quite a while over
that one.
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