Prauge, Day 2 - Part 2: Prauge Castle
This is the second part of Day 2 in Prauge, so if you want to read in order, skip down one.
So, some tips on getting around Prauge. The first is not immediately relevant to where I'm picking up, but: a lot of blocks in the new town have shopping passages down the middle of them. Given that the roads aren't exactly a grid, this can save you from having to walk halfway around the block to go straight. One warning, I don't know if they're all open at all hours.
The second one, which is relevant: The tram stops don't have ticket machines on them. You can buy tickets at a news stand if you can find one, or at a metro stop, or at a hotel. Frequently, to avoid problems, I've bought day or week passes, but tourist Prauge really is mostly walking distance.
So, picking up where I left off:
After lunch I walked across the nearest bridge, one North of the Charles Bridge, and walking next to the tram tracks. Without a ticket. So I keep walking along the tram tracks as they turn up hill, looking for a new stand, and only finding one after the tracks turn away south (it turns out the line convenient to the castle runs to the north side if the promontory the castle is on, I was south).
No problem, I figure, it can't be that much further. As I end up walking a little over another mile. Up at least a 7% slope. Eventually I get to the top, where the first stop is the Sterhanka monastery with a few gorgeous rooms open to view (libraries).
From there a short walk back down past a nice church to the Castle main gate. I bought my ticket inside, which included Cathedral access and several other exhibits. It was already nearly 3, and the Cathedral was closing at quarter of 4 instead of 5. Not sure why, although I suppose it could have been related to the lady in her wedding dress getting pictures taken or front.
Anyway, St. Vitus Cathedral is a Gothic core finished Neogothic from about the transept back, with more modern stained glass (including one by Mucha, an art nouveau artist, who I admit I had not heard of before this trip, his Slav Epic is on the schedule tomorrow). Present in the older section is a giant silver tomb of St. John of Nepomunk, several Habsburgs, and, in theory part of the arm of St. Vitus, hence the name of the Cathedral. You can also climb the Cathedral tower for a look out over the town, but I skipped that bit.
Leaving the Cathedral, you walk around the side, and can (with ticket in hand) walk into the great hall if the castle. This huge hall was used for meetings of the electors and, until recently, the Czech senate for special occasions. It was also, according to my guidebook, occasionally used for holding indoor jousts. Of to one side are a couple of imperial chancery offices, including one that is fairly famous for what (or more specifically, who, got thrown out of it.
After finishing that level, I looped outside to go through the lower level "story of the castle" exhibit ( not included in all tickets). This is an exhibit on the archeological and historical record of the castle. Some interesting historical clothing, mostly burial garb (dimly lit, no real chance to see detail).
Another small church, older, and then the "Golden Lane" a row of servants quarters along the outer (north) wall of the castle. A lot of them were set up as various period houses or workshops. Authenticity is questionable although the hall of helms did have a "pre-Viking" helm with horns :). Apparently at one point these rooms were rented out, and the owners set them up as they are to get a few coins from the tourists. Some were also sub-let, including to Kafka.
At that point, I was just about at the bottom of the castle, and it was close to 5:00 when the sites, but not the grounds, close, so I skipped the toy museum (including the while floor of Barbies), and headed back down hill. I came back to the tram tracks, found a news stand to buy tickets about a block north of where I went the wrong way on the way up, and took the tram back to the new town, and walked the few blocks to my apartment.
I rested my feet for an hour or so, while writing up the first part of this, and then out to the concert. A string octet doing a mix of composers for about an hour in a beautiful setting. Quite good, but so where the duo busking outside as I left.
Dinner was a sausage from a "fast food" stand in Wenceslas square, and then back to the partner to finish this write up and collapse.
The plan for tomorrow is several museums and some exploration. Wednesday isn't completely settled yet, but may include a day trip to Archduke Franz Ferdinand's digs.
So, some tips on getting around Prauge. The first is not immediately relevant to where I'm picking up, but: a lot of blocks in the new town have shopping passages down the middle of them. Given that the roads aren't exactly a grid, this can save you from having to walk halfway around the block to go straight. One warning, I don't know if they're all open at all hours.
The second one, which is relevant: The tram stops don't have ticket machines on them. You can buy tickets at a news stand if you can find one, or at a metro stop, or at a hotel. Frequently, to avoid problems, I've bought day or week passes, but tourist Prauge really is mostly walking distance.
So, picking up where I left off:
After lunch I walked across the nearest bridge, one North of the Charles Bridge, and walking next to the tram tracks. Without a ticket. So I keep walking along the tram tracks as they turn up hill, looking for a new stand, and only finding one after the tracks turn away south (it turns out the line convenient to the castle runs to the north side if the promontory the castle is on, I was south).
No problem, I figure, it can't be that much further. As I end up walking a little over another mile. Up at least a 7% slope. Eventually I get to the top, where the first stop is the Sterhanka monastery with a few gorgeous rooms open to view (libraries).
From there a short walk back down past a nice church to the Castle main gate. I bought my ticket inside, which included Cathedral access and several other exhibits. It was already nearly 3, and the Cathedral was closing at quarter of 4 instead of 5. Not sure why, although I suppose it could have been related to the lady in her wedding dress getting pictures taken or front.
Anyway, St. Vitus Cathedral is a Gothic core finished Neogothic from about the transept back, with more modern stained glass (including one by Mucha, an art nouveau artist, who I admit I had not heard of before this trip, his Slav Epic is on the schedule tomorrow). Present in the older section is a giant silver tomb of St. John of Nepomunk, several Habsburgs, and, in theory part of the arm of St. Vitus, hence the name of the Cathedral. You can also climb the Cathedral tower for a look out over the town, but I skipped that bit.
Leaving the Cathedral, you walk around the side, and can (with ticket in hand) walk into the great hall if the castle. This huge hall was used for meetings of the electors and, until recently, the Czech senate for special occasions. It was also, according to my guidebook, occasionally used for holding indoor jousts. Of to one side are a couple of imperial chancery offices, including one that is fairly famous for what (or more specifically, who, got thrown out of it.
After finishing that level, I looped outside to go through the lower level "story of the castle" exhibit ( not included in all tickets). This is an exhibit on the archeological and historical record of the castle. Some interesting historical clothing, mostly burial garb (dimly lit, no real chance to see detail).
Another small church, older, and then the "Golden Lane" a row of servants quarters along the outer (north) wall of the castle. A lot of them were set up as various period houses or workshops. Authenticity is questionable although the hall of helms did have a "pre-Viking" helm with horns :). Apparently at one point these rooms were rented out, and the owners set them up as they are to get a few coins from the tourists. Some were also sub-let, including to Kafka.
At that point, I was just about at the bottom of the castle, and it was close to 5:00 when the sites, but not the grounds, close, so I skipped the toy museum (including the while floor of Barbies), and headed back down hill. I came back to the tram tracks, found a news stand to buy tickets about a block north of where I went the wrong way on the way up, and took the tram back to the new town, and walked the few blocks to my apartment.
I rested my feet for an hour or so, while writing up the first part of this, and then out to the concert. A string octet doing a mix of composers for about an hour in a beautiful setting. Quite good, but so where the duo busking outside as I left.
Dinner was a sausage from a "fast food" stand in Wenceslas square, and then back to the partner to finish this write up and collapse.
The plan for tomorrow is several museums and some exploration. Wednesday isn't completely settled yet, but may include a day trip to Archduke Franz Ferdinand's digs.