Before starting my self-guided walking tour of Prague, I thought no city, least of all Prague, would top Budapest. My track record on this trip so far started to tip in the favor of guided tours over my own walking tours. Prague changed all of that. I fell hard for that city and cannot wait to go back someday with someone I love so I can show them all the amazingness of that awesome city.
After breakfast, I headed for my first stop, the castle complex which held the castle of course, two different cathedrals, a row of preserved servants quarters and a couple other buildings that my ticket did not allow entry to. I bought the cheapest of the offerings with the audioguide since I know next to nothing about Czech history.
I started my tour inside the complex with a tour of St. Vitus Cathedral, the largest and historically most important cathedral in Prague.
Before entering the castle, I also visited a smaller but significantly older church, St George. Built in 970 AD, this church is the oldest church still standing in the complex.
Once I entered the castle itself, I discovered that some rooms still had furnishings but most did not. A few areas had been cordoned off for restoration. The audioguide, however, held a wealth of incredible information.
In one room in particular, I absolutely loved the painted coats of arms covering the ceiling of what used to function as a a council chamber of sorts. I wanted to take so many pictures but for some reason they did not allow photographs in any room of the castle. People still took pictures since most of the rooms did not have guards but that room? A rather domineering older woman stood guard as people entered, demanding that they put away all photographic devices even if they just held it in their hand. I had not taken photographs but once I reached the far side of the room and heard her berate dozens of other people, I pulled out my phone and took a quick shot.
To finish off my castle visit, I toured Golden Lane. This tiny, cramped area held seemingly impossibly small homes and workshops where castle servants and workmen, like goldsmiths, lived. People, including Franz Kafka, lived here up until the start of the Second World War. Once I reached this area, the already tight crowd became even tighter in this miniscule space so I did not stay long as I looked into each residence before moving on, my tour of the castle complete.
When I returned my audioguide, I received my deposit back in cash. I had to then purchase my keychain so that I could break the large Kroner bill to obtain change for the restroom, of course. Before I headed into town for more touring, I purchased a local delicacy, the trdelnik, a churro type donut fried while wrapped around a large kebab-type skewer. Once filled, any number of fillings complete the dessert. Mine had ice cream in the center. Although I have no idea how to pronounce the name, I thoroughly enjoyed the treat.
Once out of the castle complex, I stopped to purchase some batteries and then made my way to the St. Charles Bridge, an amazing structure that crosses into Old Town and has more than 20 awe-inducing statues of saints, kings and Biblical figures, trinket sellers, caricature artists, and buskers.
One such pair of buskers captivated my attention. This pair played the double bass and saxophone (one each of course) producing such beautiful jazz music that I wanted to stay and watch them the entire time they played. Unfortunately, I had much more still to see and had to keep moving.
I kept walking through Old Town, a guaranteed favorite for me, of course.
I managed to get myself turned around a few times since I followed my printed directions backwards thus seeing one church and its massive monument in the small square in front at least three different times. Since everything I saw fully immersed me in the history of the city. I did not mind.
Finally, I came to the Old Town Square, a location so full of amazing history and culture that it nearly overwhelmed me. This square holds the Prague Orloj, a medieval astronomical clock, the oldest still in operation installed in the Old Town Hall, two massive churches, the Gothing Church of Our Lady before Tyn and the Baroque St. Nicolas Church, twenty-seven crosses installed in front of the Old Town Hall to honor the Protestant martyrs executed by the Hapsburgs, as well as a massive, impressive statue honoring the martyred reformer Jan Hus, a statue that itself holds over a hundred years of history.
All of the above came on just two sides of the gigantic square. Performers of all types, shapes, and sizes filled the open space of the square, occupying spaces not taken up by large guided tour groups making their way through. I stopped near one and listened as the guide explained fascinating tidbits about the nearby buildings, including one which jutted out in front of all the other buildings, breaking up the carefully planned square. These particular aristocrats bribed some town officials so they could build their palace without further scrutiny of the blueprints causing quite a furor once the design no-no was discovered. Of course, the protests lasted only until the protesters received their own bribe.
I spent quite a bit of time in that square, partially because I purchased lunch and a demitasse mug at the Starbucks on the square (they certainly know how to integrate themselves into history), and partially because the history filled my senses, intoxicating me. I reveled in the atmosphere and only reluctantly wandered away from the square to wrap up my visit in the famed Jewish quarter, Josefov.
Two things limited my tour of this area. One, I spent the majority of my daily budget on the castle complex ticket and audioguide. Two, to get my money’s worth in the castle, I spent as much time as possible there and thus by the time I finished in the castle and made my way across the St. Charles bridge and through the Old Town Square, I had little time left before the end of the day. I walked past several of the six remaining synagogues and attempted to peer into the Old Jewish cemetery, the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe. Retaining walls keep out prying eyes and also hold in the many layers of dirt used to continue burials in the area when the city prohibited its Jewish residents from purchasing more land for the cemetary. In some areas, graves exist 12 layers down!
After that, I headed back to my flat, stopping only to pick up enough food for supper that night and breakfast the next morning. I had made the decision a couple days before to cancel my half-day tour to Terezin, a concentration camp near Prague. I made the decision for two reasons. One, the ending time of the tour made the connection to the airport for my flight to Brussels tight but doable. Two, I now knew about the heavy emotional toll a tour of a concentration camp takes after touring Dachau. I know that I need to see this hard history but in small doses. Instead of the tour, I slept in, read a couple books (one at the flat and one at the airport,) and leisurely made my way to the airport. Once in Brussels, I made my way to a cute, tiny flat, and prepared for the amazing adventure to come on day 14.