Prague: Our third and final day (sad face)

Our plan for the day was to visit the Jewish Quarter, then walk across the Charles Bridge by day and then visit the Communist Era Museum.

When traveling, things never quite go as planned. 

Visiting the sites in the Jewish Quarter cost the equivalent of about $22 per person, which wasn't going to work for all of us, so we visited what we could, but unfortunately weren't able to learn about the history and the culture - which, to me, is what makes such experiences interesting. 

Franz Kafka lived here and is memorialized in the Jewish Quarter. Weird statue, though, don't you think?

Speaking of strange art in Prague...

The best time to cross the Charles Bridge in order to get photos without tons of people is...never. Ok, maybe 4 AM. But certainly not at noon in May!  But here you go, anyway. 

And on the other side...

Couples placing locks on grates and fences is a tradition in Europe. 

From what I've heard, this practice is actually destructive to structures and is not encouraged. (So why am I blogging it?!)

At this point, we found our way to  the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the site of the massacre of seven Czechs who, along with hundreds of others, paid the ultimate price for the (heroic) murder of Nazi SS officer, Reinhard Heydrich. You'll want to do some research about this; I simply can't do it the respectful justice it deserves. (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Anthropoid) but I did take some photos. And I've had a lump in my throat since...

I needed an hour to chill alone in the hotel room after that experience. 

Our last dinner in Prague was at a small tavern that seemed to be big with the locals. 

Someone got a hold of my phone at that point...

I had goulash yet again. I just can't get enough of Czech goulash! And surprisingly, it's tasted different at each restaurant we've been to - all quite delicious!

Tomorrow we'll head back to Munchen for two days before heading back to Seattle on Sunday. 

We all agree that this two-week trip has been the perfect length. Another week and we might kill each other, but we've managed to really have a great time together, in spite of occasional requirements for copious amounts of patience and tolerance. 

Perhaps I'll spend some time on the train tomorrow writing about "lessons learned" for traveling together as a family of adults. 

My hope is that the kids really will consider this a fabulous trip of a lifetime. I think chances are good that the trip will be considered a success by all. But you'll have to ask them!