Liechtenstein | 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…

We drove through the Alps today to see what they looked like. We loved the cliffs, open valleys, small churches, and snow! It was snowing on us as we climbed higher through Lech and Zurs.

It’s the middle of may and its snowing!

I felt like we entered another world.

The towns were like ghost towns with nothing open, not even a gas station. I just read that in the winter time, these resort areas are considered high end and upscale.

Jeff loves geography and wanted to drive through places he’s never seen before. Liechtenstein is a small country surrounded by Austria on the east and Switzerland on the west. There wasn’t much to see but the boys got out of the car to say they set foot in another country. I liked the cloudscape, even though its been raining and grey most of the day. The one good thing I’ve learned by living in Holland is not be afraid of getting wet, even if it makes y hair go crazy!

The next town brought us a much needed dose of sunshine. Switzerland was gorgeous!

My favorite part was when Jeff took a detour to drive by Lake Bodensee.

I am happiest by the water and tried to get a few family pictures of my first Mother’s Day in Switzerland!!?!

I want to be really honest and say that trying to get all my kids to behave and focus their attention on the camera at the same time while the sun peaked out from behind the clouds just at the right time was a major feat and I was almost defeated! There was lots of shoving and yelling and a few tears, despite what the pictures might show!

I just want you to know I’m real and struggle and yell and get frustrated, even on Mother’s Day! My life is perfectly imperfect… Just the way I like it.

Happy Mother’s Day – we all know being a mama is hard and constant and tiring and rewarding work! I hope you find joy in the wild and messy and chaotic days and peace in reliving the memories and watching them sleep.

Goodnight, from almost home… Holland! I have wireless again back in the car…