Prague Cathedral (shown here) is one of three churches we visited during our trip. The other two were St. Nicholas Church near the Charles Bridge and Tyn Church in Old Town Square (Diana and Al are shown there).

The view from the cathedral with Charles Bridge on the right. The Powder Tower is on the far side and St. Nicholas church is on the near side.

One of a number of artists and musicians on the Charles Bridge.

Al sitting beside his favorite statue (boy on father's shoulder) on the Charles Bridge.

We often came and went through the Mustek tube stop, but the most fun was at Flora near the hotel where the escalator was so steep that it appeared folks going down were falling over. We laughed hysterically to the puzzlement of other passengers and enjoyed our private joke even when walking through the city.

We walked so much on the cobbled streets that we felt we deserved a 1/2 hour Thai foot massage on the third day. We liked it so much that we all went back for an hour massage the next day.

There were many art galleries and souvenir shops containing crystal, but Al had the most fun with the marionette purchased for their football-playing son (it kicks a little ball if the feet are properly manipulated).

The buildings in Old Town weren't damaged during the war so visitors today can enjoy the beautiful architecture and colors.

There are trams operating throughout the city, but we travelled from the Marriott Hotel to Old Town by one of the three underground tube lines then moved about on foot.

One of several murals on buildings and the Prague Cathedral that seem to withstand weather and time.

A view of the cathedral within Prague Castle on the hill above 'Lesser Town'. The town is reached after crossing the Charles Bridge (one of the top ten places to propose in Europe) from Old Town.

Diana and I spent April 17-20 in Prague, Czech Republic. The kids had just begun the summer term so we arranged for them to stay two days with families from school then they boarded two more days. They had a great time and we enjoyed another honeymoon!

We were fortunate to travel with two other fun couples one of whom lived there for three years on an expat assignment.

Old Town Square

I forget the name of this building, but I liked it!

We spent most of our time in or near Old Town Square so the three amigos could shop to their heart's content!

We spent our last two days (April 13-14, 2008) in Amsterdam where we rented bicycles, canal bikes (twice), took a tour on the canal bus, visited the Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt portraits), the Diamond Museum and the Anne Frank House, and sometimes rode the tram. The sights were memorable and the weather cooperated to make it a great trip.

One of the memorable aspects of our trip was that it involved our first every stay at a youth hostel. The StayOkay Vondelpark hostel was spartan (three bunk beds in a small room), but relatively clean and affordable. It was also close to Leidseplein which is a very happening place where we rented bicycles, canal bikes and took short walks. Our oldest child was very pleased when her canal bike took the lead in a race!

The beauty and scent of several million flowers put Al in an amorous mood, but that sent the kids over the brink and the massive outpouring of emotional and physical energy led to the eventual collapse of the family.

On our second day in Holland (April 12, 2008) we took a bus to Keukenhof gardens. This is the home of 7,000,000 bulbs, mostly tulips. However, the weather had been cooler than usual and while there were many tulips, most of the color was due to hyacinths, crocuses and other flowers.

We elected to hop off the train at Leiden during our return trip from Madurodam to Amsterdam. The windmill, canals and willow trees made for a beautiful town. We also found as many bicycles in Leiden as we saw in Amsterdam. They're everywhere! Upon returning to the train station, the kids expressed their excitement (a la 'High School Musical') over the remaining train ride to Amsterdam.

One of the major souvenirs sought after in Holland are wooden shoes, however, one young teenager had her sights set on a handsome man from Sesame Street. The youngest one may have been looking for Elmo? Unfortunately, our teenager had to settle for someone less attractive than Bert.

From April 10-14, 2008 the family visited Amsterdam. Our first trip was to the miniature city in Madurodam where Al and his family visited over 35 years ago. The amazing site featured incredibly detailed 1:25 scaled models of important buildings in the Netherlands as well as running trains, trams, boats, windmills, cable cars, airplanes (KLM) and Chinooks and Apaches owned by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).