fairytale bavaria
we were all pretty sad to leave switzerland behind, but as we continued on to southeastern germany, it pretty much felt like we drove right into a fairytale.in bavaria, we visited neuschwanstein castle and the darling, adorable towns of oberammergau and mittenwald. we loved all the natural beauty, fascinating history, and complete storybook charm.
it didn’t hurt that we started at the place that inspired disneyland’s sleeping beauty castle – the ultimate fairytale icon! neuschwanstein, majestically perched on the mountain with its towers and turrets, is pretty darn magical. we loved exploring the grounds and the inside in the crisp afternoon.
^^ our first view of the castle. i was pretty excited to see this in real life after seeing so many pictures! ^^
^^hohenschwangau castle is at the foot of the mountain and is where the builder of neuschwanstein, king ludwig ii, grew up. his determination to build a much grander castle full of grandiose art and ornate decoration on top of the mountain was a bit extreme. he borrowed a lot of money and put bavaria in some pretty steep debt. after ludwig’s untimely death, work on the castle ceased, and most of the interior is still unfinished to this day. ^^
^^ it’s a pretty legit hike to get to neuschwanstein from the base of the mountain. pretty cool to see views of the castle around turns going up! ^^
^^ the bridge that offers great views of the castle was closed for construction, which we were a bit bummed about. we didn’t have enough time to hike around for a complete view, but we scrambled around some paths to see the castle from different angles. it’s just so nuzzled into those gorgeous mountains! ian really wants to visit neuschwanstein, so when i go back we’ll find some epic viewpoints! ^^
^^ the views from (rather than of) the castle were plentiful and stunning, though! ^^
^^ the shadow of the castle on the mountains. pretty cool! ^^
^^ we couldn’t take pictures inside the castle, but did get to go out on this balcony. the interior was so luxuriant! ^^
^^ sunset from the castle balcony! ^^
^^ i had to include this “pre-picture” … we have lots of these :) ^^
^^ haha! selfie attempts! ^^
we stayed the night in oberammergau and were stunned by the cuteness of the town when we all went out for a morning walk. the flower boxes and the ornateness of the church blew us away!
our next stop was mittenwald, which we learned is the violin-making capital of the germany, in addition to being just the loveliest, mountain surrounded town you ever did see. our mom is a violinist so this was a prefect spot to visit!
^^ a common sight as we navigated around different places on our trip :) ^^
^^ a still capture as we filmed a segment of our music video – haha! ^^
^^ at the violin museum. incredible to see such fantastically beautiful instruments that are hundreds of years old and really fun to learn about the amazing violin making process. ^^
^^ a good action shot :) saren is often teaching us. she and aja both have so much information in their heads! ^^
^^ love, love that stacked wood. ^^
^^ this photo is from our walk up to a chairlift, which we rode to the top of a peak overlooking mittenwald. riding the lift was so much fun, and it provided both some tremendously beautiful sweeping views and some peaceful alone time since it was a one-seater lift! (we looooove being together and when we are we are constantly engaged in interesting or funny or deep conversations. so after several days of pretty much non-stop awesome sister discussions, it was good to have some solitary time among all the beauty :) )
^^ at the top, after we ate lunch on a terrace with amazing views! ^^
^^ see how my mom has her arms out on the ride down? love her and how she has taught me to love the world. ^^
^^ back to the parking lot. you’ve gotta love the tiny cute cars in europe! ^^
our drive into austria included some amazing scenery and awesome conversations, but also included some super gnarly traffic at the border and a very upset nyc baby (not used to having to stay in a carseat!!).
but both cars finally made it to salzburg, and we met up at a restaurant to eat some wiener schnitzel together!
bavaria really is a fairytale! and gosh, i love my sisters, sister-in-laws and mother so so much!
This just looks like the funnest trip ever. And your photos are sooo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYawn...and yet another PASSIONATELY PERFECT DAY OF OUR PERFECT TRIP ON MAMA EYRES DIME! Geez move on already.
ReplyDeletehi anon! i have two more posts about this trip planned...so you can just skip looking at this blog for a few days :)
Deletemy mom left a comment clarifying how this trip was financed, if you want to check in out in the post previous to this one.
hope you find something more exciting than this boring ole blog today!
Charity,
DeleteMy point is to many of the people who read your blog and some of your Sister's blog it comes across as bragging and boosting about all the trips around the world. I know that you and Ian are not millionaires. Most of your siblings are millionaires. It is quite obvious by the way they live and travel because who can travel in extravagence with all the children they have unless you are a millionaire. Although their wealth is a hidden wealth they are quite private about it by hiding in the shadows. Yes it is true they don't live in million dollar homes but their assets are well over the million dollar range. Millionaires are people who travel all the time like your parents and your siblings. They rent fancy house boats expensive California 5000 square feet Villa. Jeriamiah 9:23 This is what the Lord says; Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about the Lord. Oh by the way you were also just on a Cruise with your Mom and Dad just a few months prior .You took that trip around the world. Maybe your next trip you will go to Zambia with all your rich siblings and Feed the Poor starving children. Maybe you all could sacrifice for just one moment and give up some of those luxuary trips and give the money to help feed the poor. Charity that would be a true act of Christian Charity. Your siblings have missed the true spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thank-You,
I will pray that you will stop the bragging and boosting. My friend it is getting quite old. The Lord Jesus does not look kindly on you and all that bragging and boosting.
hi again! thanks for the perspective. please keep in mind that my siblings and i only share a small part of our lives on blogs. i'm not sure you can make a judgment as clearly as you have without knowing us outside of the internet. i'm also not sure you can determine financial status with this limited knowledge.
Deletethis blog is a personal record of my life, and i feel compelled to share beauty and learning that i find while traveling. i am really saddened that this has come across as bragging and "boosting." i will sincerely seek to avoid that tone in the future.
Ten percent is to be given. People can spend the rest of the 90% on whatever. As they all entered the temple last year they must all be up on their tithing. I think a trip to Zambia where they can do charity tourism is a rotten idea. Poor people are not something to tour. The benefit should be sincere and the person on the aided hand the focus not the visitor. Seems an inefficient use of funds. Besides they have already done that. Half have already been there to India and Mexico. And put it out there how others can pay and go do that too. It's part of the business model to share your trip and let others know how they can also take a trip and do the same thing.
DeleteI was the first anonymous, the second wasn't me but she does have some good points. I used to enjoy yours and your siblings blogs but I can hardly read anymore as you don't live realistic lives in the least.
DeleteThe comment by anonymous "The Lord Jesus does not look kindly on you and all that bragging and boosting." I am extremely saddened that someone would make such a harsh, and I dare say, incorrect statement. I do believe the Lord looks kindly on Charity for her kindness to others, especially those who misjudge and make assumptions. I believe He looks kindly on Charity for her heart that is full of gratitude and appreciation for life. I believe He looks kindly on Charity for her desire to share her experiences and testimony with others via her blog. She inspires me, and I know others have said the same. I have never felt Charity has boasted or bragged about her travel opportunities. She has always shared her experiences with a grateful heart and an acknowlegment of how blessed she is to have such experiences. I for one, hope she continues to share these adventures....they never get old for me. Thank you Charity. Love your blog. ;)
DeleteSomeone's personal accounts of their lives (albeit the blog is public) really isn't bragging at all. She never invited any of us to read, we decided to read at our volition. So, if the content is not pleasing to the reader, either change your attitude and prospective of what you are reading, or simply choose not to read. Why should the person who is writing the blog change what they are writing, or tone, or perspective to us, the uninvited readers? They shouldn't. People can comment and say what they may, but asking someone to change what they say, or how they say it, or the lifestyle that they live, or what they do with their money? Really? Isn't reasonable. Absolutely not. Also, kindness, understanding, love can go so much further than sarcasm, unkind words, judgement.
DeleteI find it interesting when people hide behind the title 'anonymous'. I personally think that if you can't say something as yourself, you should probably think twice about saying it! I'm not going to quote the bible, but boy, the judgements that came through those posts are UGLY.
DeleteJust for a little balance I don't think you come across as a bragger. I think this is your blog and you use it to record your life and adventures, like how people used to keep diaries before the internet was invented. That's all.
ReplyDeleteThis year you've done a lot of travelling. So what. Next year you might do none. Next year might be awful. Who knows what is planned for us. I'm sure the anons of the internet will have something to say about that as well.
Keep writing Charity. Stay true to yourself
Hi Charity! At this time in my life I can't afford to travel and this is exactly the reason that I love your travel blogs. It takes a generous soul to allow perfect strangers to share a glimpse of their life. Thank you so much for being you!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome adventure. It is amazing what there is to see and do on this planet earth. It's great you have seen so much of it already. My international adventures are just beginning and I am addicted.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with our society that we can't approve of the wealth of another. So what if the Eyres are millionaires. If all of them are (and I have no idea)! Does that take anything away us? What's wrong with being successful? Is this a sin? I think not. I can not imagine being able to travel as much as they do, time-wise and financially. But that has nothing to do with them doing it! Every thing I have read shows that they are very careful about helping the poor, teaching their children to work hard for things, and enjoying their successes! Good for you all! I'm sure this has been said before, but needs to be repeated. STOP reading if you are tired of hearing about trips!!!! Golly!!!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog. Love the travel and adventure. It is all very exciting and fun to see places I have had the chance to visit, as well. And, OUCH! Criticism is a very tricky element within the blogging world. Does it build up, or tear down? Does it lift or bury a person? Is it helpful or hurtful? I guess to each his own. Emmet Fox said, "Criticism is an indirect from of self-boasting (The Positivity Blog). Evangelist Joyce Meyer said, "Those who criticize. gossip or show jealousy are attempting to 'steal our joy'. They really want what you have". Something to think about before publishing a comment.
ReplyDeleteTo the first anon, I'm sorry, I can't resist laughing! I wish we were all millionaires, but alas, we are not. I think most people reading know this, but as an Eyre I wanted to chime in, just in case.. There are some pretty tricky ways to travel on a pretty limited budget. For instance, I saved up frequent flyer miles and applied for a ridiculous number of credit cards and worked my tail off doing photography last year so that we could bring our kids to Europe this summer. We stayed with friends and family everywhere we went and spent no more on food than we do at home. You don't have to be a millionaire to travel, you just have to be pretty creative and have a lot of drive to pull it all off (and of course be willing to make some serious trade offs).
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that, I think we all know that many people find themselves in life situations where travel really is impossible due to various constraints, or something that they're not really that interested in, and that's totally ok. It's just something we love, so we all try to do it as often as we can.
It is kind of ridiculous though how much we love it.