Prague was high on our list for places to visit. It is only about four and a half hours away, so very easy to drive to. We had a bunch of Marriott points from our time there when we moved to Germany, so we used some points and stayed right downtown and enjoyed every minute. It is a walking city and we certainly walked a lot. Prague is magical and beautiful.
Everywhere we looked there was picturesque architecture. This was our first picture.
Old Town Square; Staromestske Namesti.
The astronomical clock.
This is the famed Charles bridge. The plaque we are rubbing is one of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being thrown into the Vltava from the bridge. It is said that rubbing this will bring good luck and a return trip to Prague.
We were on our way to the Castle, but the way we walked had this huge staircase. There was this group of about five Italian tourists, all dressed in white, who were walking right near us. We tried a bunch of times to get pictures of the kids without the "white knight" in it but we had no luck.
The city of prague viewed from the castle quarter.
Sharing a snack.
This is inside the Strahov Monastery. They have the most impressive library we have ever seen. These people were true intellectuals. The monastery itself was built in 112o.
The library again.
This "Eifel Tower of Prague" sits atop of Petrin Hill in the castle quarter. Once you have climbed the hill, and then up the 299 steps to the top of the tower, you are actually as high as the Real Eifel tower is. We had fun climbing to the top and the view was beautiful.
Some real live bohemian gals were giving kids pony rides at Petrin Hill, Katie enjoyed the pony and the ride but she was a reluctant smiler!!!
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We had a great paddle boat ride on the Vltava river.
Apparently women are supposed to sit in the back.....ummm really??
In 1621, 27 Czech Noblemen were executed here because of their Protestant faith.
Again in the old town square and this family we know from Stuttgart. I ran into five people I know in Prague...how strange...thank you Navy for giving us this tour in Europe!!!!
An image from the Jewish Ghetto.
hmmmmm.
We were tired in the late morning of the third day. We decided to do the car tour. It was a blast. An old Skoda car, and a local driver take you around for about a half hour. If you get to Prague, I highly recommend the car tour.
I had to.
Statue of St. Wenceslas.
Inside the impressive St. Vitus cathedral.
Nolan thought the gate guards were cool. He wanted this picture taken.
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We stopped in Mettlach, Germany on the way and did a little bit of shopping in the Villeroy and Boch outlet. The town was quaint.
The first thing we did on July 3rd after checking into our hotel, was visit the ruins of the Luxembourg Castle.
There is not much left here from all the bombings but there is enough for the kids to climb and balance on.
Dating back to 1644, these Bock Casemates in Luxembourg are amazing. They are 14 miles long and built as passage ways for times of war. Once called the best defensive fortress in the world beside Gibralter.
Billy.
Looking out from one of the "windows".
The staircases were steep and the original stone steps were well worn and not super easy to walk on.
And now....time for gelato.
Day 2...Happy 4th of July!!!! we head to General Patton's museum.
The museum had a lot of items found over the years in the country. The kids even thought it was interesting!!
On to Vianden, an adorable town nestled in the hills and home of this beautiful castle.
Time for a break from walking.
Inside the castle.
Beautiful architecture.
After the castle, we drove down the hill to a place where we could park and take this chairlift to the top of the mountain.
At the top of the mountain, after walking quite a ways, we found a high ropes course. We didn't have reservations but they said it was a slow day so Bill and the boys could go through the training course and climb. Nolan was awesome, totally conquering fears of heights and ziplines!!!
Poor Katie begged to ride this four wheeler, maybe next year Katie!!!!
Great job Nolan.
Billy loved this part of our trip and vowed to not complain at castles in the future if we can do more stuff like this.
Nolan did great with very little help from the "big boys" with his carabiners hooking and unhooking.
Towards the end, Nolan got a bit tired and decided to take a break on Bill's head.
Perhaps as close as Bill will get to surfing while we live in Europe.
Bye-bye Vianden, oh beautiful little town.
Day three, the American Cemetary in Hamm, Luxembourg.
6,000 Americans are buried here from World War II.
General Patton is buried here.
The cemetary is beautifully manicured and quite a memorial to those who fought for freedom.
Grevenmacher, Luxembourg. Butterfly garden. The kids loved this. There were butterflies everywhere, a honeycomb swarming with bees, and beautiful flowers. This was a great spot to take the kids.
Last stop...Bernard Massard wine and champagne cellars. We took the thirty minute tour and learned all about bottling and storing champagne. The tasting was fun too of course.
Cheers.
Time for one last ride before we drive home.