Our second day in Prague started much more well-rested than the previous. We enjoyed a great breakfast at the hotel – eggs, fruit, yogurt and granola started the day off right. We headed to the market right next to our hotel to purchase some fresh apricots for a lunch-time snack, then headed off towards Prague Castle!
On the way to the castle, we again passed through Old Town Square, and were again blown away by its beauty! The weather was incredible – 70s and a bright, blue sky. It made the buildings and incredible scenery even more impressive! Even better, we were some of the only people in the square since it was still early. What a great way to enjoy the view! We made our way to the Charles Bridge, and were again almost the only ones there. What a treat! We enjoyed the incredible panorama of the city for quite a time before continuing on to the castle.
After treaking up the hill to the castle we were immediately treated to a stunning view of the city. Quite the reward! Also, we somehow got incredibly lucky and arrived just as the changing of the guard was occurring! We were able to see it occur, which was quite a treat. We explored the area a bit before heading into the ticket booth to get set up for the day.
We decided to spend the entire day at the castle, so got the ticket with the most options. We were really glad that we did – we were able to see so much! We started in St. Vitus Cathedral, which was extremely beautiful. While we were in the space, a tour group that was clearly an extremely well-trained choir treated us to some early music from the center of the space. It resonated off all the walls – such a treat! It was truly exceptional. We continued on to the Old Royal Palace, where we were again treated to stunning views of the entire city of Prague. This area was where kings were crowned, and had lots of interesting information about the governance of the area in previous eras. St. George’s Basilica was next, which was a medieval cathedral. Much smaller than the others, the decor in here was simple but the space was still stunning and beautiful. We took a lunch break then, and had some protein bars and the previously-purchased apricots. this was enjoyed in the Royal Garden with spectacular city views. Quite a lunch break!
After lunch we went down the Golden Lane, a space that was previously occupied by servants, but has been restored to demonstrate what typical Czech houses would have looked like at various times in history. I really enjoyed this one! We ended up going to the Powder Tower, which had a lot of history about the Czech military, and the Rosenberg palace, which was where elite orphaned/poor women studied. Both spaces were really interesting!
On another stroke of good luck, there was a millitary demonstration happening in the afternoon at the Castle. We noticed signs in the morning, so wanted to stay to see that. Both of us were glad we did! We observed elaborate, and very impressive, demonstrations by members of the military on both motorcycles and by foot.
We ended our afternoon by wandering back towards the bridge, but stopping to listen to some traditional street music along the way. We took a break at our hotel for a while to plan our itinerary for the next few days, and then headed back out for dinner. We found a lovely place quite close to the bridge where we enjoyed pasta and beer. Finally, to end our day we got trdelník, a traditional dessert in Prague. We wandered back across the bridge at dusk and got to see the castle all illuminated – quite a site! We headed back through the square again, which had quite a different vibe from our morning visit. And now, bed.