Czech Republic: Prague, the Golden City
On our first day in Prague, we venture out on our own.
With the boys in tow, we need to get creative. Remember how I always wrote that playgrounds are the essential item in guaranteeing a stress-free family vacation, no matter where you are in the world. There's only one problem with that in the year 2020: One, I have a teenage son who can take or leave playgrounds (mostly leave them) and a soon-to-be 11-year-old who is too cool to be seen playing with kids who could be half his age. My little kids have evolved. That means we have a teen and a tween who mostly get their info from their smartphones.
We'll need to start from the ground up here: so what do most families want to see when they get to Prague? The Castle tour, of course, plus the world's oldest astronomical clock, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, etc. Well, the plan is to get in all of these sites, but here we need to water it down a little. Here the rich Czech beer will need to be thinned with water...or fruit punch, in this case, I guess.
From our place downtown, it's a 10-minute walk to the Old Town Square, where there happen to be most of the museums. Which ones? Well, that would be the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Jewish Museum, the Museum of Communism, the Kafka Museum, among many others. Clearly, the kids want to explore the latter, in this case, the "many others." The star attractions will just have to wait. Kafka? Museum of Decorative Arts? How about the Museum of zzzzzzzzzzz's?
Museum One is the Museum of Optical Illusion. Even to our pampered, 21st-century technological sensibilities, this is still a winner for parents as well. There are plenty of photo opportunities that are freely encouraged, and we end up with our kids pushing an 18th-century squire out of a window, being at the receiving end of what appears to be a meteor and our kids ending up with a 20-foot wingspan.
But we need to keep going here, keep slogging, there's no rest for the adults. How about a church? Sure, can I charge my smartphone there? Epic fail. So there's Madame Tussaud's wax cabinet, always a favorite for kids. Here a picture with Freddie Mercury, here one with Mozart, plus a great shot of Liebi with the Dalai Lama, a long-time hero of hers.
Lunch, and now it's time to sprinkle in an adult site, which backfires spectacularly. Liebi and Bash opt for the Museum of Decorative Arts while Axl and I head to the Lego Museum, which is more up Axl's alley. On the way home, Axl tells me that each animated movie he'll direct in the future will feature one Green Day song. As long as that is settled.
Bash later admits he should have gone to the Lego Museum. Too late, kid. Plus, tomorrow will be the adults' turn, with a tour guide, no less. You had your shot, kiddos. Pargue is ours next time.
With the boys in tow, we need to get creative. Remember how I always wrote that playgrounds are the essential item in guaranteeing a stress-free family vacation, no matter where you are in the world. There's only one problem with that in the year 2020: One, I have a teenage son who can take or leave playgrounds (mostly leave them) and a soon-to-be 11-year-old who is too cool to be seen playing with kids who could be half his age. My little kids have evolved. That means we have a teen and a tween who mostly get their info from their smartphones.
We'll need to start from the ground up here: so what do most families want to see when they get to Prague? The Castle tour, of course, plus the world's oldest astronomical clock, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, etc. Well, the plan is to get in all of these sites, but here we need to water it down a little. Here the rich Czech beer will need to be thinned with water...or fruit punch, in this case, I guess.
From our place downtown, it's a 10-minute walk to the Old Town Square, where there happen to be most of the museums. Which ones? Well, that would be the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Jewish Museum, the Museum of Communism, the Kafka Museum, among many others. Clearly, the kids want to explore the latter, in this case, the "many others." The star attractions will just have to wait. Kafka? Museum of Decorative Arts? How about the Museum of zzzzzzzzzzz's?
Museum One is the Museum of Optical Illusion. Even to our pampered, 21st-century technological sensibilities, this is still a winner for parents as well. There are plenty of photo opportunities that are freely encouraged, and we end up with our kids pushing an 18th-century squire out of a window, being at the receiving end of what appears to be a meteor and our kids ending up with a 20-foot wingspan.
But we need to keep going here, keep slogging, there's no rest for the adults. How about a church? Sure, can I charge my smartphone there? Epic fail. So there's Madame Tussaud's wax cabinet, always a favorite for kids. Here a picture with Freddie Mercury, here one with Mozart, plus a great shot of Liebi with the Dalai Lama, a long-time hero of hers.
Lunch, and now it's time to sprinkle in an adult site, which backfires spectacularly. Liebi and Bash opt for the Museum of Decorative Arts while Axl and I head to the Lego Museum, which is more up Axl's alley. On the way home, Axl tells me that each animated movie he'll direct in the future will feature one Green Day song. As long as that is settled.
Bash later admits he should have gone to the Lego Museum. Too late, kid. Plus, tomorrow will be the adults' turn, with a tour guide, no less. You had your shot, kiddos. Pargue is ours next time.
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