Prague day 10

RIGHT! [Think: heel clicking, jacket button popping saluting admiral]. The table mountain of Prague today (i.e. the main attraction; the thing that absolutely MUST be visited): Prague Castle.  It’s an all day, epic expedition.  We start by taking a stroll through the section of town surrounding the castle.  This includes the nunnery/ chapel combo called the Loreta.  A Baroque, bordering on Rococo catastrophe.  But one can appreciate the loveliness and craftsmanship and inspiration behind it. 

Then a lunch at this amazing place which is unassuming from the outside, but is on a hill and has spectacular, panoramic views of Prague.  Here, one can even have... gluten free beer!

The Castle complex is huge- an exercise in medieval and later gated communities.  Many churches/ cathedrals/ other buildings from all the ages since medieval times crammed in around castle itself.  Except to me, it’s a palace, and not a castle- the palace has no turrets or princesses or Rapunzels or Disney motifs.  It’s just a slightly more baroque version of Buckingham Palace.

What does not disappoint is the giant St. Vitus’s Cathedral, which dominates the Prague skyline, and is simply spectacular.  Too much to take in.  The best stained glass ever, since a lot of it is purple.  At one point, to get an interesting photo angle for something, I crouch down, and start to put buttocks to marble to get the shot.  No sooner had one butt check hit the ground, than an official from Men in Black, with a headphone apparatus, is all over me, telling me I am not allowed to sit here.  It’s like there was a butt cheek sensor. It was indeed a silly idea to start with, but I meant no disrespect at all.  In my head, I am thinking: This is it, I am to be dragged away by the secret police, never to see my family, my Maz, Boy or Ellie again...  On the other hand, he could be satisfied by me crouching on my haunches to do the pic instead of sitting, and move on to find another hapless victim.  We pootle around in awe, getting repetitive strain injuries from the constant jaw- dropping. 

Then we do a tour of the castle- in the medieval section which is not visible from the front of the complex.  This is a lot more castle-y!  YAY.  Then to the medieval jail... torture chamber...eurrrrghhh...  Then to the Golden Lane, where the artisans and smithies were. Fabulous tiny bookshop here, and fabulous lil’ house that belonged to a clearly mad, film and film paraphernalia hoarding man.  Discovery Channel would have had an episode meal here! 

We make an impromptu decision to attend an evening classical music concert to be held in one of the many places of worship- St. George’s- in the castle complex.  To kill time until then, we have coffee at Starbuckson the castle hillside- not because we are predictable and unadventurous tourists, but because of the views to be had of Prague. The lil’ concert is lovely, utterly charming and not too long either. 

We trudge home, all castled out, and have the ever-present BDM combo at a place on our closest town square, called Malostranska.  Engage in some blogging and people-watching.  Marvel at, but also envy, dumb tourists attempting to negotiate cobblestones in 3-inch high Jimmy Choos.