Prague – The Golden City (part 2)

by Karisa

Right, so yesterday we made it just across the Charles Bridge, and today I can show you what there is to see on the other side…

Here we go:

    • The first stop after the bright is an area called Malá Strana, which in English means “Little Quarter”.  It is one of Prague’s most historic regions and during the middle ages, it was the dominant area for the ethnic German citizens of Prague.  In short however, there’s just a lot of general prettiness to take in:
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    • Heading further up the hill, after about a 10min walk, you will get to Prague Castle (but don’t worry, it’s not too steep a walk).
      This castle has been home to the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors as well as the presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.  And as far as its size goes, the Guinness Book of Records lists this castle as the largest ancient castle in the world.
      Out front you’ll see the Czech Royal guard in their snazzy baby blue suits and on the inside there’s actually lots of buildings to explore because you see, it’s more of a castle complex, rather than just one big castle building.
      You have two options when visiting the castle:
      – A short visit:  Costs 250 CZK and covers you for the following: St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George’s Basilica, Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower.
      – A long visit:  Costs 350 CZK and covers you for all of the above PLUS a permanent exhibition called “The Story of Prague Castle”, the Prague Castle Picture Gallery, Powder Tower and the Rosenberg Palace.
      I just opted for the short visit as it covered all the last items on my “The Golden City” walking tour, and I didn’t think I needed to see more than that.
      Now first up we have the Old Royal Palace complex & as well as the Old Royal Palace interior:
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      DSC02017praguecastle1DSC02034praguecastle2One of the other items included in your visit is the St. George’s Basilica (the red building below):
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      DSC02073And then I don’t know what this one below was, I just thought it looked cool:
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    • Now the next “must see” item on my walking tour (plus the one still to follow) is conveniently situated within the palace complex.  The Gothic styled St. Vitus Cathedral has 3 towers – the two front towers measure in at 82m high, while the main tower is a little more impressive at 96.5m high.  The cathedral is said to contain the tombs of many Bohemian Kings and Holy Roman Emperors… not a bad spot to rest your bones I say…
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  • Last, but certainly not least, we have Golden Lane.  This cute little lane, lined with tiny, colourful houses got its name from the 16th century alchemists who are said to have been placed here to look for a reaction to produce gold.
    Today the houses are home to little souvenir and gifting shops, selling everything from silver, glass and body products to yes, you guessed it – puppets.  They really do love their puppets in Prague…
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    How much do you love that little silver guy top left?

    Golden Lane is connected to Daliborka Tower which used to be used as a dungeon. There are lots of little areas where you can peek inside and see how the people of Golden Lane used to live:
    golden_lane3As well as a mini museum of sorts which shows you battle gear, fashion and torture devices dating back to the middle ages (quite an odd but interesting mix):
    golden_lane2From the end of Golden Lane and Daliborka Tower you can also get some great views over the city:
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Now something I have to mention is that photography in some of the areas within the castle walls are strictly prohibited.  Well that is unless you pay 50 CZK extra to have a fancy pants photographers license:

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Ooooh, look at me!

Another thing worth a mention is that the castle complex is actually a really nice place to just chill and maybe have a bite to eat.  I  spotted a few cute places where you can pull up a seat:
IMG_2275 IMG_2276And then lastly, back outside the front entrance of the castle, there is a whole square filled with beautiful finds and some more great views.  So that’s worth a look at well:
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Loved this 3D paint technique…

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And there you have it folks, that is the end of the official Golden City tour.  BUT I still have a few more Prague odds and ends to share with you before we move on to my last destination, London.  So I’ll do that in my next post.

xxx

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