And this is the kind of behaviour you sometimes get:
Sometimes, even this:
The truth is, even the best-behaved children get tired of hearing their mother read about castles from a guide book. And, when asked for good behaviour, those children may even respond with synchronized devils' horns.
Thus it was that when we visited Prague Castle in 2006, I had to dig deep into my bag of tricks. I knew it wouldn't suffice to tell them that the castle, founded in the late ninth century, was one of the biggest in the world.
It wasn't enough to show them the stunning St. Vitus Cathedral, or to see the wonderful city views from its main tower.
No, to keep their attention, I had to tell them about the defenestrations.
A defenestration, for the uninitiated, is the act of throwing someone - usually a political enemy - out the window. In 1618, one such incident in Prague Castle incited the Thirty Years' War. More recently, I have fond memories of my grade 12 history class, in which one of my classmates defenestrated himself. (We were on the ground floor.)
What better way to bring history home for your family, and make sure they never forget Prague Castle, than by staging your own defenestration:
And that is how the Pollocks travel in Europe.
13 comments:
Sounds like you have a fun time! And you're making memories that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. My mom and I traveled in Europe when I was in college and I have the most wonderful memories of our times together.
Hahaha, I love this post, thanks for the smiles!
Behaviour this or that, I believe they had a great time!
Your family won't forget that day! The castle looks fantastic.
Love this post and your photos! Gorgeous! Your daughters will always remember the good times you had! Wonderful memories!
Nothing like a good defenestration to liven up history. :D Great photos!!
My two college daughters fought about art vs historical museums--each loves one and detests the other, not the same of course. But they still had a great time (and totally agreed on student rush tickets to the theater).
I love these old photos! Cute girls! And Nick was a bit bored with the castles in Ireland till he learned of the "murder holes." From then on, he paid strict attention on our tours :)
So funny! I won't forget that bit of trivia either :)
What a gorgeous post, thank you for making me laugh :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Ha! First of all, they look incredibly well-behaved to me :) Secondly, love this post. Who knew defenestration would one day save your children from castle fatigue?
loved reading this post...brought a big smile...gorgeous pics of the castle and a lovely way of spending family time :-)
splendid city view from there. the kids are having fun! Have a nice holiday
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