After a couple travel days, Susan and I took advantage of our comfortable and quiet Prague accommodations to sleep in some and take the morning at a more leisurely pace. After breakfast (leftover pizza from yesterday’s lunch and coffee) at the hostel, we set off around 10 am to walk to the Prague castle. It sits on a hilltop at the bend in the Vtlava river across from Old Town and was about a half mile walk straight north for us. En route, we stopped at St. Nicolas Church, a huge Baroque style church where we paid the small admission to wander the corridors for a bit. It was a beautiful church with tons of detail on the statues and paintings in the main nave and altar, the side chapels, and the enormous dome. We were even able to go up into one of the upper galleries to view the church from a different angle.
Jeff’s got babies on his mind. Large, faceless babies. 
Some graffiti to decorate the streets 
St. Nicolas Church
Back on the road we began the ascent of the long stairway to the castle grounds, window (and real) shopping along the way. Once at the top, we checked out the views from the Rampart Gardens before entering the inner courtyard. Upon emerging in the courtyard we were once again among the throngs of tourists milling about around the huge gothic St. Vitus’ Cathedral. We did not dare brave the lines to enter the church, but were still impressed by its size and exterior detail. This is where the Czech royalty were coronated and where many of the past rulers are buried. It dwarfs many of the other palaces and structures in the castle grounds.
A view down the steps to the castle grounds 
A shot out the arrow slits 
Overlooking the city 
St. Vatus Cathedral
From the Cathedral we started working our way down the narrow corridors past various smaller churches and points of interest, all of which had their own small entrance fee that led us to pass them by. At the south gate we stopped to take in the view before descending the much more lively main staircase to Lesser Town. This time the stairs were littered with musicians and art for sale.
Just below the castle grounds
At the bottom we grabbed some fruit to fuel on the go before making our way back south in the direction of the hostel. However, the midday plan was to head up the hills to our East after grabbing food and beverage and to live like a local with a picnic in the park. Our picnic consisted of cheese, sausage, bread crackers, some pastries and (of course) Czech beer. This lunch spread cost us all of about $13.50 including the funicular ride to the top of the hillside park.
A view down the funicular 
Rose garden at the top of the hill
Once sated, we descended the hilltop some since it was too forested to provide views and sunshine before settling on some grassy area of the lower slopes where we took in the view of the city, read books, and relaxed on the lawn until late afternoon. Returning to the hostel had us turned around some, but eventually we made it home where we rested and cleaned ourselves (and some clothes) before venturing out again for the evening.
At our hang out spot for the afternoon
Unfortunately the evening was a mess all around. We had initially planned to take a shot at grabbing last second opera tickets which we heard was a possibility if you show up 30 minutes ahead of time. However, we knew where the National Theatre was, but not necessarily the opera house. Additionally we weren’t really sure we had appropriate clothes for opera since we only packed casual, lightweight gear.
After the opera fail, we wandered to another theatre where we decided to pass on the evening’s show, a ballet “recital” of sorts but not a true ballet. From there we thought it would be fun to check out a new area away from the traditional touristy Prague, so went to the TV tower. This is a unique modern structure clearly visible in the skyline that according to tourist books and magazines had restaurants and bars in its upper pods. We arrived to not much of a crowd…not a good sign. Then as we approached the tower we noticed baby statues, identical to those we saw this morning outside the museum, climbing the side of the tower…that was more strange than bad news. Finally, we went in the lobby to learn the restaurant and part of the tower was closed for reconstruction….Bummer.
Babies on the TV Tower
Here’s where things really took a turn. I was low of Czech Koruna (cash), but had some Euros and a bank card. However, for the subway back to town we needed Czech coins. So, we began walking toward downtown looking for an ATM. We walked…and walked…and walked. Finally an ATM was found as we reached tourist central again and I got some cash before realizing it wouldn’t solve my problem of needing coins. After all the trouble we basically ended up walking to the hostel (about 3.5 miles) with only a pit stop for Susan to grab a bratwurst and another to sit down for Jeff to have goulash with an angry waitress on the side.
Tomorrow we depart Prague…not holding a grudge after our disappointing last evening.
Our Farewell Shot of Prague at Night (Castle on left, Charles Bridge center, Old Town on right)
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