Over the river and up the hill, to Prague Castle we go

July 12

Today, since I did not have any classes and my father was in town, we decided to check out the Prague Castle. And I must say, I am extremely proud of being able to navigate our way up there. Granted, all we had to do was get on tram #22 and then get off at the appropriate stop, but still, for my first independent trip to an unknown place in a foreign country, I am proud. Therefore, with a guide book in hand, we set off to see the Castle.

Once on the hill, our first stop was St. Vitus' Cathedral. It was once again a very beautiful church, but all these Catholic churches are beginning to blend together and look exactly the same to me. We then visited the Old Royal Palace, where we saw the famous place of the defenestration. In spirit of the famous defenestrations, please enjoy this somewhat related video (shout out to Sarah Elkins!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veg63B8ofnQ. Even though I highly doubt that the windows are still the originals, the room (and palace) from where they were thrown out of was definitely the original. From these towers we also got a very good overhead view of Prague, including the US Embassy,  Charles Bridge, the National Theater, and all the other famous landmarks. We then proceeded to the Golden Lane. Someone had recommended it and thus my father and I went to see it. Unfortunately, it was pretty disappointing. It was full of shops and a few reconstructions depicting typical life in on the Castle's grounds. And tourists. Which brings me to my next point. There were SO many tourists. Flocks of them. All with their own tour groups, rushing through the whole Castle's territory in order to make it to their next planned activity. Luckily, because my father and I took our time and leisurely wandered, enjoying the cool breeze (and not the sudden rain), all the tourists were pretty much gone by noon, allowing us to calmly proceed to view the grounds.  

Inside of St. Vitus' Cathedral

St. Vitus' Cathedral

The window of defenestration seems a bit underwhelming

Charles Bridge

After viewing the grounds, we wandered into the Royal Garden which once again offered a spectacular place to sit, relax, and take in the sights of Prague. We then walked toward the Charles Bridge, past a number of newlyweds posing in unnatural poses by the river, while their photographers kept screaming for the groom to look at his wife and for the couple to at least pretend to be happy. We then crossed the Charles Bridge and made our way onto Wenceslas Square and then back home to Jerome House.

All in all, it was a nice day to just relax, wander, and take in the city.