Praha: Day 2 (Part 2)

To get to the castle district you have to climb a steep hill. The street we went up was lined with shops and restaurants. Finally, you get to the top and look out over Prague. I wish the pictures were as good as the real thing. The view is a lot more breathtaking than what is captured in the pictures. 

The palace courtyard: 

These guards made me laugh ... they did whatever it took to not make eye contact with people taking pictures. So serious! 

Once within the walls of the castle we could have seen a lot more than we did but, we really didn't want to pay to see every little thing so, we just walked around the grounds and saw what we could for free. This is St. Vitus Cathedral. It was huge. 

We saw a few other things before walking down the hill to go back into the city. We went into a toy museum that was filled with old toys, new toys, Czech toys, German toys. It was kinda neat to see them all. They had a case of Barbies and we saw this one ... couldn't believe there was BYU representing in Prague!! 

There was also a view of 'Golden Lane' ... we didn't pay to see it but, it was built back in the 15th century. It originally was called Goldmakers Lane and was probably where Goldsmiths lived. Now, it's mostly book stores and souvenir shops. Its a cute, famous street. 

After this we walked down through the Royal Gardens. They were beautiful! We saw this couple and I felt like I had stepped back 100's of years. Brad & I kept saying that ... there were several times we felt like we were thrown back in time. Funny how your surroundings can do that to you! 

While we were up at the castle we saw this wall and set out on a trek to find it ... 

Its a drip stone wall called 'The Grotto'. 

There are faces and animals in the wall ... we spent a good 10 minutes trying to find them all. 

This wall was within the walls of the Wallenstein Palace. It used to be home to Duke's and Emperor's of the Wallenstein family but, now it is home to the Prague Senate. The grounds were gorgeous. 

As we were crossing back over into Old Town I saw this, a giant metronome! I had read about it and really wanted to find it while we were there. I didn't know where is was or why it's even there but, as we were crossing the bridge, I looked to my left and saw it! Not the greatest picture but, still totally random and neat! 

I really like my travelling partners ... they're my two favorite people. 

Just north of Old Town is Josefov, or the Jewish Quarters. This area of town is where all the Jews were forced to live. The government sent so many Jews to this area of town that they ran out of places to live, it was crowded and they were constantly under strict rules and requirements. Unfortunately, we went on Saturday when everything in this area of town was closed. 

Old Jewish Town Hall: 

This is the Synagogue. Behind it was the cemetery, the headstones were old and just thin pieces of rock. Everything was crammed into one small area. Brad and I loved this building though, it was beautiful! 

So, when I go to other cities, I like to experience the things that they are famous for: food, landmarks, traditions, things like that. In Prague, they have Trdelnik. It's sweet dough that is wrapped around a metal bar and cooked over the heat. They pull it off and roll it in a cinnamon/sugar and nut mixture. They were perfect treats on the rainy cold days we had while there. 

They also have Palacinky. They are pretty much Czech Crepes. You can fill them with fruit, cream, ice cream and all sorts of toppings. I chose to have mine filled with nutella and fruit. It was delicious. I have craved them a few times since being home. 

We also tracked down the local Hard Rock Cafe. Ah ... American food!!! It was a welcomed dinner.

We headed back to the hotel fairly early that night, turned on Hercules and just spent time together. These moments are more memorable than the entire city of Prague.

I love my family.