Another church and a meet-up with Channi
Yesterday in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
The third building I visited within Prague Castle was the beautiful Basilica of St George, which felt very different from the grandeur of St Vitus Cathedral. Founded around 920 by Prince Vratislav I, it is one of the oldest surviving churches in Prague, although much of the building we see today dates from the 12th century, when it was rebuilt following a devastating fire. Its striking red Baroque façade, added in the 17th century, hides a much older and simpler Romanesque interior, with thick stone walls, rounded arches and a wonderfully atmospheric sense of history.
The basilica was closely connected to the Bohemian royal family and became the burial place of several early rulers, including Prince Vratislav I. St Ludmila, the grandmother of St Wenceslas and one of Bohemia's earliest Christian saints, is buried in the basilica. She was murdered in 921 during a dynastic and religious power struggle and later became one of the country's most revered saints.
The church also formed part of St George's Convent, established in 973 as the first convent for Benedictine nuns in Bohemia.
What particularly caught my attention were the beautiful surviving frescoes, decorating the ceilings and alcoves, some dating back to the medieval period. Once again, the church was very busy with visitors, but I managed to find a quiet corner where I could sit for a few minutes, admire the artwork and try to imagine what this ancient building must have felt like centuries ago, without the constant stream of tourists. After the overwhelming scale of the cathedral and the rather disappointing Royal Palace, it was lovely simply to sit and appreciate the atmosphere of this remarkable little church.
My final stop on the Prague Castle circuit was Golden Lane, a narrow street lined with tiny, brightly coloured cottages tucked against the castle walls. Dating back to the late 16th century, the houses were originally built to accommodate castle guards and later became home to craftsmen, servants and poorer residents. Despite its name, the lane wasn't actually home to goldsmiths in its earliest days, although goldsmiths did live and work here later. There are also legends about alchemists trying to turn ordinary metals into gold, but these stories are more folklore than historical fact.
Micha, had compared Golden Lane to the famous Shambles in York, so I was particularly looking forward to seeing it. However, I have to say that, for me, there was absolutely no resemblance! The cottages looked almost too perfect, with their freshly painted façades, and the whole street felt rather like a reconstruction, although the buildings are genuinely historic and have been extensively restored. Many of the cottages now operate as souvenir shops, which didn't particularly interest me. I did venture into number 22, associated with the famous writer Franz Kafka, only to discover that it, too, was a shop. The lady working there explained that Kafka didn't actually live there permanently; the cottage belonged to his sister, and he used it as a peaceful retreat where he could write after work. Once again, the crowds were enormous, making it difficult to appreciate the atmosphere of the little street. I'm glad I saw Golden Lane, but it wasn't really my thing, and certainly not the medieval experience I had imagined. Having completed my castle circuit, I made my way out through the lower gate, ready to continue exploring Prague.
Just outside the gate, there is a vantage point, from where I got my first view of the striking red rooftops of Prague. I then made my way down the cobbled steps to end up in Lesser Town. I took it very slowly as I'm still getting used to my varifocals! Going down stairs is particularly bad as it feels like the ground is coming up to meet me!
I returned to the stop where we had caught the tram up to the castle as I had seen a farmer's market there. There were some interesting stalls. I ignored the guy selling Lincolnshire cheese! Instead, I bought a small piece of local cheese made from a mixture of cow's and sheep milk, and flavoured with truffle. It was delicious.
I got a message from Channi. She wasn't far behind me, so we arranged to meet for a coffee. We sat at an outside table and chatted nonstop for a couple of hours. She was very good company. We then decided to have dinner together. We made our way back to Charles Bridge and went to a restaurant that Micha had recommended earlier. I wasn't particularly hungry, so I just ordered a starter of goulash soup. Unbeknown to me, it was served in a whole loaf! It was very good, but I couldn't eat the 'bowl' 😂. It had been a carb-filled day!
After dinner, I said goodbye to Channi and made my way back to Lipanska on the tram - with a valid ticket this time! 😀Read more
St Vitus Cathedral & Old Royal Palace
Yesterday in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
The first building I explored within Prague Castle was the magnificent St Vitus Cathedral, and the sheer scale of the place is almost overwhelming! Construction began in 1344, during the reign of Charles IV, but remarkably, the cathedral wasn't finally completed until 1929, almost 600 years later. Its soaring Gothic arches, enormous vaulted ceilings and elaborate stonework are breathtaking, but what particularly caught my attention was the beautiful stained glass. Some of the windows looked surprisingly modern, with wonderfully vibrant colours and designs, and I've since discovered that many were created in the early 20th century, including a stunning Art Nouveau window by the famous Czech artist Alfons Mucha. Another extraordinary sight was the magnificent silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk, the same saint whose statue we'd seen earlier on Charles Bridge. Created in the 18th century, it's an incredibly elaborate Baroque monument that really catches the eye. The cathedral is also the final resting place of Charles IV, who is buried in the royal crypt beneath the building, although unfortunately I didn't manage to see his tomb.
Just like Charles Bridge, the cathedral was absolutely thronging with tourists, and I found the crowds rather overwhelming. I explored as much as I comfortably could, admired the extraordinary architecture and artwork, and then decided it was time to move on. It's undoubtedly one of Prague's most spectacular buildings, but I would have loved to experience it in a quieter moment, when there was more opportunity to appreciate its beauty and atmosphere.
My next stop within Prague Castle was the Old Royal Palace, which, I have to admit, I found a little disappointing after the splendour of St Vitus Cathedral. The palace dates back to the 12th century, although it has been rebuilt and extended many times, and for centuries it served as the residence of Bohemian princes and kings. Its most impressive feature is Vladislav Hall, built at the end of the 15th century, with a magnificent late Gothic vaulted ceiling. This enormous hall was used for coronation celebrations, royal banquets and even jousting tournaments, with knights riding their horses into the building via a specially designed staircase!
The palace is also associated with the famous Defenestration of Prague in 1618, when two Catholic imperial officials and their secretary were thrown from a window by Protestant nobles, an event that helped trigger the Thirty Years' War. All three men survived the fall! Catholics later attributed their survival to divine intervention, while Protestant accounts offered a rather less miraculous explanation involving the material they landed on.
Fascinating history, but I have to say that the rooms themselves seemed rather plain, and there were surprisingly few areas open to visitors. There was apparently a balcony offering wonderful views across Prague, but it was being used by school groups, so I couldn't get out there. Once again, the palace was extremely crowded, and I didn't linger long enough to read all the information boards. Perhaps I was expecting something a little more lavish, but after a quick look around, I decided to move on to the next building on my castle circuit.Read more
The end of our guided walk
Yesterday in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Commissioned by Charles IV in 1357 and completed in the early 15th century, Charles Bridge is a magnificent medieval stone bridge, which crosses the River Vltava, linking the Old Town with Malá Strana, beneath Prague Castle. According to tradition, Charles IV deliberately chose to lay its foundation stone at 5:31 am on 9 July 1357. Written as 1357 9 7 5:31, the numbers form the palindrome 135797531, which reads the same forwards and backwards. The sequence was believed to bring strength and good fortune to the bridge.
The bridge is lined with 30 beautiful statues and sculptural groups, mostly dating from the Baroque period, but the most fascinating for me was the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk. According to legend, John was thrown into the river in 1393, on the orders of King Wenceslas IV because he refused to reveal the secrets of the queen's confession. Historians believe his death was actually connected to a power struggle between the king and the Church. Today, visitors queue to rub the bronze reliefs beneath his statue, believing it will bring good luck or ensure their return to Prague. The metal has been polished to a brilliant shine by thousands of hands! A little further along the bridge, a brass cross surrounded by five stars marks the traditional spot where John was thrown into the river, and touching it is said to make a wish come true. It's fascinating to see these traditions continuing in a country that is now largely secular. Unfortunately, the bridge was absolutely heaving with tourists, making it difficult to appreciate its atmosphere properly, but even through the crowds, its history and architecture are extraordinary. Perhaps I'll have to return very early one morning to experience it in a quieter moment!
After crossing the bridge, we had a toilet break in a traditional pub that only serves Prague's famous beer - Pilsner Urquell. Micha insisted that it has healing properties and therefore refers to it as her daily medicine!
We then took a tram three stops up to Prague Castle, where our wonderful walking tour of Prague with Micha finished. The castle perches high above the city, overlooking the River Vltava. What an extraordinary place! Dating back to around 880, when it was founded by Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid dynasty, Prague Castle has been at the heart of Czech history for more than 1,100 years. And it's not really a castle in the traditional sense, but an enormous complex of palaces, churches, courtyards, towers and gardens, covering almost 70,000 square metres. In fact, it's officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest ancient castle complex in the world! Over the centuries, it has been home to Bohemian kings, Holy Roman emperors and, more recently, Czech presidents, who still use it as their official seat today.
Each generation has left its mark, creating a fascinating mixture of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The spectacular St Vitus Cathedral dominates the skyline, but there is so much more to discover within the castle walls.
After saying goodbye to Micha and the rest of our group, and exchanging numbers with Channi, I decided that I couldn't possibly leave without exploring further, so I bought a ticket for the main castle circuit and spent the next few hours discovering four of its historic buildings.
Before beginning my exploration, I went for lunch in the castle canteen and had my first taste of Czech goulash served with bread dumplings! It was very tasty and surprisingly lighter than it looked!Read more
A walking tour of Prague
Yesterday in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
I woke up at 3am and never got back to sleep again. This wasn't helped by an absolute racket when someone bumped the dustbins all the way down the concrete steps inside the building at 5.30! 15 minutes later, they were dragged back up again!
I listened to the radio before getting up, having breakfast, and making my way outside to catch a tram. The tram stop is just around the corner from my apartment. Unlike other stops on the tram route, this one doesn't have a ticket machine on the pavement, so I boarded without a ticket. I know there is a machine inside, so I planned to buy a ticket en route. However, the tram was so busy that I couldn't get anywhere near the machine. I rode the whole 20-minute journey in a state of fear that I'd get caught. Fortunately, I didn't. But I made it my priority when I got off to buy a three-day pass so I won't get caught short again!
I had booked a walking tour for this morning, so I made my way through the deserted streets of the Old Town to the meeting point using my trusted Google maps. After a couple of wrong turns, I found it. I still arrived early! I spent the waiting time chatting to Channi, an Australian solo traveller of Sri Lankan descent. Inevitably, we talked a lot about travel 😊.
At the designated time, we met our guide, Micha, a native of Prague who had lived in York and Sheffield for a few years in her twenties. She turned out to be a very informative and entertaining guide. We were a group of 16 people from Scotland, England, Canada, Australia, and India. Everyone was friendly and engaged.
Our walk started on the edge of Jewish Town. Although we didn't explore the area, Micha explained its history. What affected me most were the small brass plaques embedded in the pavements outside ordinary houses. Known as Stolpersteine, or "stumbling stones", each commemorates an individual who lived at that address and was persecuted by the Nazis, many of whom were deported and murdered during the Holocaust. The plaques record their names, birth dates and what happened to them. Our guide explained that these memorials are still being installed today, as families and researchers uncover and document the stories of those who disappeared. I found it incredibly poignant that, more than 80 years later, these people are still being remembered, one name and one home at a time. A simple but incredibly powerful reminder that behind the enormous numbers of Holocaust victims were real people, with families, homes and everyday lives, who should never be forgotten.
From Jewish Town, we walked to the Old Town Square and learned all about Charles IV (1316–1378), after whom many of Prague's buildings are named. Our wonderful guide, Mic
ha, was clearly his number one fan! Having learned a little about him, I can understand why. Born in Prague and originally named Wenceslaus, Charles spent part of his childhood at the French royal court, where he received an excellent education. He became King of Bohemia in 1346 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1355, transforming Prague into one of Europe's most important cities during what became known as its Golden Age. He was responsible for founding Charles University in 1348, establishing Prague's New Town, commissioning the famous Charles Bridge and supporting the magnificent Gothic development of St Vitus Cathedral. An unusually educated ruler for his time, he spoke several languages and was passionate about art, architecture and learning. More than 600 years after his death, his influence is still visible everywhere you look in Prague, and he remains one of the most admired figures in Czech history. It's quite extraordinary to think that so much of the beautiful city we're exploring today owes its existence to the vision of one medieval king!
We walked round the corner to the Old Town Hall. Established in 1338, the Town Hall is actually a collection of historic buildings gradually joined together over the centuries, with its impressive Gothic tower completed in 1364. But its most famous feature is undoubtedly the extraordinary Astronomical Clock, known as the Orloj, which dates back to 1410 and is one of the oldest working astronomical clocks in the world. It's so much more than an ordinary clock! The elaborate upper dial shows the positions of the sun and moon, the zodiac and different ways of measuring time, while the lower calendar dial represents the months of the year and the seasons. Micha, explained how all the different parts work, although there was rather a lot to take in! Every hour, the clock comes alive as a skeleton representing Death rings a bell, figures symbolising human weaknesses begin to move, and the Twelve Apostles appear in two little windows above the clock. Finally, a golden rooster crows and the clock chimes the hour. Unfortunately, we weren't there at the right time to see the performance today, but I'm determined to return before I leave Prague! It's incredible to think that this remarkable piece of medieval technology has been fascinating visitors for more than 600 years.
We then walked through the Old Town to the iconic Charles Bridge. We stuck to the main thoroughfares full of Starbucks, Costa, Pizza Hut, Macdonald, and other global brands, but Micha advised us to return later and explore the side streets for a taste of the real Prague.Read more
Arriving in Prague
October 12 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
I had a restless night, but thats not unusual when I'm flying the next morning. I must have dropped off eventually because I woke with a start when my alarm went off at 7. I got sorted, had a quick coffee, and was downstairs to catch the shuttle to the airport at 7.45. My flight wasn't until 10.45, but I like to leave myself plenty of time 😊.
At the airport, I could go straight through security as I had carry-on only. This was a novel experience for me and I have to say, I quite liked it! Inevitably, I was stopped for a bag search. They thought my conditioner was suspicious, so they had to run it through the machine. Obviously, it came back clear 😊.
Then, I had to run the gauntlet of the seemingly endless duty free. I know some people love it, but I really resent it 😂. In honour of Mark, I had a Spoons breakfast while I waited for my gate to be called. I passed on the pint of Guinness to go with it, though!
The flight to Prague was uneventful and only a little late. Because I normally go long haul, this was my first flight into an EU country since all the new biometric rules came in. I have to say it was very well organised and didn't take too long. I was disappointed not to get a stamp in my passport, though 😊.
Once I was through security, I withdrew some korunas and went to speak to the lovely people on the information desk. The lady there gave me very clear instructions on how to get to Lipanska (the district I'm staying in) by bus and tram and sold me a ticket. It only cost £2 for a 45-minute journey.
The public transport system in Prague seems very easy to navigate. I couldn't see very much on the drive as the 3-carriage tram was packed! When I got off, it took me a good 30 minutes to find the entrance to the building where my apartment is. Again, I was grateful to only have one small backpack with me!
The flat is tiny, but it's clean and has everything I need for my six-night stay. I unpacked my few bits and bobs, and then went out to buy some essentials so I don't have to eat out all the time.
I walked around the local neighbourhood, which is full of imposing architecture. The intricately cobbled pavements played havoc with my new varifocals! 😂 I will take more photos in the coming days.
I think the supermarket I found is the Czech equivalent of Waitrose - it was a bit expensive!
Back at the flat, I cooked myself some chicken pesto pasta and made plans for the rest of the week.Read more
Home to Stansted in 8 steps 😂
October 11 in England ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
I was up bright and early for my journey to Stansted, ahead of my flight to Prague tomorrow morning.
Prague was on Mark and I's bucket list for so long. I'm happy to finally be exploring a new city in a new country.
After I booked my train ticket, engineering works were initiated on my route, so two changes became six! Luckily, I had all day to complete the journey 😃.
The bus from home to Skegness was on time. I enjoyed my ride in the front seat on the top deck - it was a good start to the day.
In Skegness, I only had a 15-minute wait for my train. It was on time. The only fly in the ointment was a very angry man travelling in my carriage with his young daughter. Using very colourful language, he made sure everyone knew how angry he was about the disruption to his journey today. The rest of us on the train were very British - we rolled our eyes and tutted a lot, but nobody said anything!
Unfortunately, he was also on the bus that we all had to transfer to in Boston for our onward journey to Sleaford. This charming man gave us all a graphic description of his visit to the onboard toilet. We still didn't comment - even when his little girl told him to sit down and stop swearing! I do worry about the society we're living in!
When the obnoxious individual sat a couple of seats away from me on the train from Sleaford to Grantham, I moved to a different carriage. Fortunately, I didn't see him again!
Sleaford station was a highlight of the day. It is an attractive, well-maintained Victorian construction. The only downside was that nothing was open - not even a toilet. I was forced to use the filthy facilities on my next train from Sleaford to Grantham.
At Grantham, I had a quick dash across the bridge to catch my connection to Peterborough. There, I transferred to my second coach of the day for my 80-minute drive to Cambridge North. It took the entire length of the journey to successfully check in for tomorrow's flight. I knew there was a reason I don't usually fly with Ryanair!
After stopping briefly to photograph the sculptures outside Cambridge North station, I caught my penultimate connection to Bishops Stortford. I was feeling rather exhausted by this point! Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for my train to Stansted. Once there, I took a shuttle bus to my home for the night - the Premier Inn!
Four buses and four trains - oh my goodness, that was a mission! I'm thankful today that, for the first time, I'm travelling with a small carry-on bag only. We'll see how it goes during the rest of the week 😊.Read more
