Shedding the cloak of a quiet night, the city was unfolding into bright new sunny day. Sticking tenaciously & religiously to a routine of hearty breakfast we were ready to take the huge Prague Castle. We took a metro from Mustek metro station, which was a two minute walk from our hotel. There are three subsequent stops after Mustek that all lead to Prague Castle considering it is a huge castle complex. We stopped at Malostranská which falls between the two other stops.
Meanwhile, the city was springing back to action.
The National Museum in the background.
Love traveling for such sights and sounds.
The gleaming golden Mustek metro station
After we reached Malostranska, the only way was to climb up hill for the castle, its environs and amazing city views. Prague Castle is a said to be the largest castle complex in the world. It comprises a spread out family of palaces, cathedrals, gardens and courtyards – enough to take up a better part of your day. Having said that, a comfortable pair of shoes will prove its worth to you here.
Be ready to climb a flight of stairs and keep a water bottle handy. It was a hot day in Prague and here I’m trying to stick to shade as much as possible.
The climb is totally worth it. You get the ‘postcard’ views of the city and also you’re ready to accommodate a nice and cool beverage at a beautiful cafe ahead.
Here’s mine!! 😀
Take a pause, take in the views,
Catch your breath and the breathtaking views!
So we made it just about the right time to witness the ‘change of guards’ ceremony at the entrance of the castle complex.
Just as we were about to enter the complex, a small unit of dapper looking guards came marching out.
Loaded uniformed men came down the to the entrance and the click-clock from their highly polished shoes echoed in the entrance.
Quite a few people (including us) were taken by surprise.
And thus the guards standing erstwhile at the entrance were relieved of their seemingly hard job of standing up with more clothes than anyone else at that point in Prague, with no expression and endure the countless clicks of devices being pointed at them. I really wonder, how it feels that way. Do they feel proud? Do they feel happy seeing people taking pictures with them? Definitely hot under those layers. Do they feel annoyed? Or do they stand there gathering all the will possible, not to itch, scratch, laugh or yawn or to simply take a deep breathe and just waiting for another pair to step in their shoes? I don’t know but I wonder.
Moving on, further upwards from here starts the process of buying tickets and seeing one member after another of this complex family. Although it could be a little difficult terrain for kids but there are lots of things that they can enjoy.
Like this toy museum that is right after entering the castle complex.
I don’t know what was this for but found it interesting nonetheless.
Well one of the unmissable attraction here is the golden lane. It is a preserved street complex of medieval ages that housed the artisans working there at that time. In the cluster of eleven historic houses lies the routine of the artisans ‘frozen’ in time. Some have been re-created though. There are also several very interesting toy shops and pottery shops here. Great place to buy souvenirs.
The Golden Lane
A toy shop window display in golden lane.
This medieval quarter especially caught my fancy.
A cozy little room of a ‘real’ pastlife seamstress!
After the Golden Lane, which was an interesting place, we visited St. George’s Basilica which was not so interesting but then it hardly takes ten minutes to see it.
St. George’s Basilica and adjoining monastery
After Golden Lane the most popular attraction in Castle complex is the very gothic structure of St. Vitus Cathedral. To me it was more or less like the Strasbourg Cathedral, but then I’m no expert in history and/or architecture. This one however is very beautiful and highly ornate structure and worth making a visit inside.
The posterior facade of St. Vitus Cathedral
The gargoyles of St.Vitus Cathedral
St.Vitus Cathedral stands tall and rugged against a beautiful summer sky.
The front facade of St.Vitus Cathedral
Inside the cathedral
The mix of light flowing in through the stained glass windows and a warm glow of candle light inside makes it truly fairy tale-ish!
After seeing this we moved to another important place to visit in the complex which is the Vladislav Hall. It’s a huge hall with a spectacular vault which has enjoyed a celebrity status among the architectural stars of the middle ages. Taking pictures is not allowed here in, however we did manage to sneak out this one.
The bohemian jewelled crown! Isn’t it just gorgeous?
Although you cannot take pictures inside the hall but you are free to do so outside its boundaries where you get beautiful views of the city.
The lovely orange roofed city behind us, as seen from Vladislav Hall
Exiting from here there was another huge monster waiting to devour us!
I don’t know what exactly this is as it was given a miss.
And now I was thinking aloud, just how big is it, this castle complex??
So my map man braves the wind, opens the map and finds the way out.
Half a day had been spent in Prague Castle complex and now I could easily eat a horse and drink a pond too. So we took a tram back to Lemon leaf restaurant (for the second time).
Though we had a good time, my energy had visibly sapped after hours of being on foot. Take a look.
That’s me at the beginning of the day!
And that’s after Prague Castle…slump and in serious need of a siesta.
Well, I’m actually going to take one now and be back for the last post on our Prague Experience soon. See you then. 🙂
Click here to read the final part.
interesting! loved it <3
Thanks loads Debu!