The National Gallery, A Bite to Eat & a Lovely Walk

I met Zuzana outside the Cathedral at the Prague Castle at 6pm & we walked around the courtyard to the National Gallery. She had planned to attend a talk on women painters there & had invited me to join her. The talk was in Czech, & there wasn’t much of an opportunity to chat with her during the session to find out what was being said (would annoy the hell out of her I imagine), so instead I wandered about the gallery. There were some fine works of art, including this beautifully vibrant one called ’The Red Parasol’.
After the talk, we walked through the palace grounds & came upon a homely restaurant where we both ordered a fine serving of goulash - YUM! It was here, over dinner, that I discovered that it was possible Zuzana may be a princess (well maybe not an actual one) & I was thankful then that I’d always treated her with the utmost reverence.
After dinner, we wandered over the beautiful Charles Bridge with all its statues & even a place or two to make a wish, which I did. We sauntered back past the National Theatre built twice (onec it burned down) with money contributed by the people many years ago.

Prague Castle

On my second day, I headed to the Prague Castle in the afternoon. It‘s a UNESCO World Heritage site & seemingly the largest castle complex in the world. The entry fee was really quite expensive (from memory about 250 CZK for the Short Tour that goes for 2 hours) plus an audio guide fee of another 200 CZK (about AUD$30).
The first stop in the castle grounds was the St Vitus Cathedral - a stunning example of Gothic architecture & the biggest church in the Czech Rep. It’s like sacred turf here as lots of kings, princes & even saints are buried in the cathedral. Unfortunately, the most precious chapel in the cathedral, the St Wenceslas Chapel, was being renovated, but there were many others available for viewing. And the stained glass windows are exquisite here.
2nd stop in the grounds was the Old Royal Palace which had lots of history attached to it, but no furniture or any decorations inside. There was a great view from one of the balconies here across a large part of Prague.
St George’s Basilica was the 3rd stop on my castle tour. Built in the early 10th century, it is the oldest church building in the castle grounds & holds the tomb of a famous saint. Its architecture is Romanesque. Sitting inside the old church, it feels like you’ve been transported back in time - interesting experience.
Last stop on my mini tour was the Golden Lane, a collection of adorable little shops specialising in all kinds of touristy brick & brack.
At just before 6pm, I completed my mini tour in time to meet with Zuzana for the eve.