Home -> Europe -> Czech Republic -> Travelogue 2003 -> Thursday 17 July

Another day at Prague

It is pouring rain when we wake up and we just thought of driving around instead of walking through Prague when the sun suddenly chases all clouds away. The sky is looks very clear, although we have no idea how long that will last, but we decide to go to the centre after all.

First we enter Hradcany, the castle neighbourhood, where the Prague castle takes the most important (and the most) place. Within the castle, foundated in the 9th century, the St-Vituscathedral towers above all other buildings. It is the biggest, gotic, church where the Bohemian kings are buried.
Within, the space is enormous and between all decorations and ornaments we find regularly the name Elisabeth. According to our guidebook it is Elisabeth of Pommeren (wife of Charles IV) who is mentioned and not 'our Elisabeth'.

Fascinating is the Golden Lane, where we find ourselves in a real medieval town with narrow streets and small houses. We can even look inside and not much has been modernised. Obviously, we have to pay to walk through this part of the castle. Here used to live the craftsmen, now the houses have been turned into souvenirshops.

We can also visit the prison and the torture chamber. Elisabeth just comes out, as you see. Medieval helmets and even whole harnesses are for sale, from € 1000 on. Very convenient when you own a castle, but need a bit more decoration...

From the royal gardens we have a magnificient view on Prague and, on the picture to the right, the Charles Bridge.

It has taken us most of the day to reach the castle, visit it and walk down again to the lower parts of town. It is not as hot as yesterday but very humid and muggy and our feet really need some cooling off.

Yesterday we saw somewhere a spider exhibition and we just have to go there, if only to make some pictures for our new Croatian friend Joško. He is sure there is a conspiracy of spiders against him, but these were all behind bars. Just to reassure you.

Next to deadly spiders there were also some species of scorpions. We noticed that most of the visitors were Dutch. Would that mean anything?

When we come outside again and sit down at a bar, it starts to storm: pouring rain, blows of wind and thunder. We walk over the Charles Bridge to the eastern bank of the river but it feels cold and wet and we decide to search for a subwaystation. After an hour we return to the campsite where we find the restaurant crowded with rainy campers. We drive to a pizzeria not far from here to eat a bit and back on the campsite we are very happy we have a cabin and don't have to sit in our small tent. At 11 at night it is still raining.

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with Elisabeth and Teije