Place of the Republic

Today, we would be kind of be retracing our steps from yesterday and decided to take a walking tour of the cities castle. This was to get a bit more history of the site as well as see a bit more of the hidden areas around the city. This worked out very well as the tour started by taking us to the suburb behind the castle that used to house the rich citizens who wanted to be closer to the king. Before that, however, we wanted to see a few of the other smaller sites that we had missed during our walks. Because we were leaving tomorrow, this would be our last chance to see them. As such, we headed to the first site and saw the Spanish Synagogue. I haven`t been inside any during my travels despite being in many, many cathedrals and Mosques, and the main reason is just that they are significantly more expensive to go inside. Due to some time constraints and a potentially large expense, we figured we would skip going inside. We did, however, have time for some food, which, for me, was another soup in bread. Although not as good as the one we had in Bratislava, it was still very good. So good we would be going back to that restaurant for dinner later. Unfortunately, dad wasn`t feeling well, so we left him to go rest at home while mum and I continued for the tours. Even still, we wandered around and saw some other sites, the main one being the book tower, but this had a massive queue out the front for a photo and we were not that fussed to see it. We also didn't leave ourseleves ebougj time for the Klementinum. So, instead, we wandered across the river to start the tour. When we got to the old part of the town, we once again walked past some very interesting designs and architectural marvels. A lot of buildings have painting or interesting designs on their facades. This was done in the Renaissance style. We then began our tour, which started with a beautiful view of the city. This is when our tour guide showed us a detail that, in retrospect, seems impossible to miss. The tallest tour of the cathedral was rebuilt in the Renaissance style after the Gothic tower was destroyed by an earthquake. This adds a strange and funny looking tip to the high point of the cathedral, especially when you see the difference in colour, as well as style. We then explored some of the former squares that led to the palace before seeing the many different architectural styles that are reflected. This also shows the difference in age and history that is present throughout the small suburb. As we entered the castle again, we walked through the main gate this time, which was the main defence throughout most of its history. We then followed our footsteps from yesterday, where we learnt about the former kings and queens of the castle, the power dynamics, and eventually wars that led to the fall of the hapsburg dynasty that once ruled the lands. It was a good way to complete the tour as we followed the history of the city from its inception to its fight for independence. After this, we headed back to the cafe for dinner, where we met dad for a quick feed. After this, Mum and I were tired from walking and figured we would call it a day.Read more