After breakfast, it was time to go see the Prague Castle. To get to the castle, you need to cross the infamous Charles Bridge. Walking towards the bridge, you can see the castle off in a distance. I also walked past this tag on a wall which I thought was insanely cool, so I snapped it for ya. I’m a sucker for a good tag, so don’t be suprised to see a few here and there.
A bit more history for you: Constructions of the Charles Bridge started in 1357 but did not finish until the 15th century. The Charles Bridge is the most historic bridge in Prague because it used to be the only bridge that crossed the Vltava River, forming the important connection between the Old Town and the Castle. As you walk along the bridge, you can admire the baroquesque statues of different saints. Not all the statues are resting on their places on the bridge, however, as they are going through a pampering restoration process. We all need a little spa day here and there!
Once you cross the bridge, you walk up this cobble stone road and get to the Church of St. Nicholas. Most people are too excited to get to the castle so they skip this altogether, but please don’t! It is magnificent inside, just look for yourself.
The rich golden statues contrast the pastel marble stones beautifully and you just stand there and admire it all.
Thankfully they allowed pictures to be taken, so the above are only a few of my maybe hundreds of photos I took from inside the Church. Anywhoo, onwards with the trek! We kept walking on that cobblestoned road, up towards the castle when I spied with my little eye, this entrance. Just look at it! The two vulture marble statues just glaring at each other, pure Gothic influence.
Finally, we got to the Castle. The view from the Castle overlooks the City. You can even see the Church of Our Lady before Týn and the Old Town Center, which I mentioned in a previous post (spot it on the left of the picture)
We made it to the Castle just in time for the switching of the guards ceremony at noon. I recommend that if you go see the castle, try to go a bit before noon so you can get a good place to see the ceremony. We arrived a bit late and could barely see much. Inside the Castle there is the St. Vitus Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral, but lets keep it simple for us normal folks!
This Catherdral, just as the Church of St. Nicholas, is another perfect example of the Gothic architecture in Prague. The Catherdral contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors (creepy). Inside, I saw the most vibrant stained glasses I have ever seen in my life.
The outside of the cathedral is just as impressive!
After seeing all that mightyness, we walked down the famous Castle Steps and back into the old town, where I stopped for some frozen yoghurt and bubble tea. A happy camper, I went back to the hotel to freshen up and got ready for dinner. You’ll see more on that later.
Love,
Rosalina
As posted on our blog sisterholics.com