Castles | here i am

Happy Mother’s Day, especially to my mama Jane! Everyone who knows her, loves her. She is the most generous and giving and loving woman I know and I’m so thankful for her! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas in the world.

Today we are traveling through Germany, Austria and the Alps through a surprise May snow fall, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany again and home to Holland which will technically bring us into tomorrow! It’s been amazing to be able to drive through all these countries and to get a glimpse of the different landscapes, terrain, weather, architecture and sites.

The highlight of my day was spent with my family at the Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle served as the model for Walt Disney’s Cinderella’s castle. It was quite majestic with beautiful views of waterfalls, steep cliffs, and open valleys. To get to the castle, we hiked up the hill for 30 minutes and sneaked in some exercise, with some rain and hail. It was quite cold at the top. No pictures were allowed from within the castle, except for in the kitchen.

When we were done with our tour, we headed back down the mountain and stopped for a German lunch. We then took a horse and carriage ride back down the hill. I loved all of it, except for the hour long wait at the castle entrance, waiting for our tour to begin in the rain. The only way to see the castle is with a tour guide.

Goodbye, from Germany…

Part 2: Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland…

Today we took our first international road trip to Belgium. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive and we went to meet up with Ilse and her kids who are visiting there for a couple more days. Ilse was my Dutch tutor back in the states and her husband grew up in the town of Gent. She invited us to come meet her there and to show us around. Of course, we agreed to the invitation and enjoyed a beautiful day exploring a new city. Thank you, Ilse!

In the car, all together, nice and cozy!

Cool bridge photo as we were crossing the Waal River in NL.

I love this image!

Lunch at the clock restaurant with the kinderen.

Boat ride through Gent.

View of the town through the castle walls.

Inside the castle courtyard.

C was so happy to spend the day with a friend!

We tried Belgian Wafels and small Italian ice cream cones. J was surprised by how small the scoops were and how they didn’t fill the cones.

One of the three famous towers in the city center. We walked through this church and the crypt. Coolest part was the modern art depicting Jesus hanging on the cross but all you saw was a piece of shattered glass with spikes where they would have pierced Jesus’ hands and feet. Very moving.