Prague Castle

St Vitus Cathedral

We spent the entire day at Prague Castle, getting the full value of our "senior" half-priced tickets which covered nearly all the attractions.  We started by walking over Charles Bridge, then up to the castle--a fair hike.  The imposing St. Vitus Cathedral is the center point of the extensive castle grounds.  It's the largest cathedral in the country and was mostly built in the 19th and early 20th centuries, on the site of an early church, and incorporating some earlier sections.

A strange suit of "bird" armor

Next was the late-Gothic Old Royal Palace, one of the oldest parts of the complex, with the coronation hall and various exhibits.  Further churches, exhibits, towers, etc. filled the day, with a brief break for lunch in the courtyard cafe.  One interesting area that we managed to squeeze in before closing was the George Street, with tiny, colorful cottages built in the 16th century for castle guard and later used by artisans, and even later by artists and writers, including Franz Kafka.  At 6 we headed for the castle gardens whose terraces drop down the hillside. These gardens received extensive reconstruction and replanting in the 20th century and are a lovely quiet complement to the busy castle area above.  


The weather today was perfect--cooled by last night's thunderstorms.  We expect more storms tonight.  Meanwhile Rob is out enjoying music in the Old Town.  Amazing how his energy level holds up.