European Vacation 2013 - Day 11

Today was our last real day of vacation.  We were up early to eat breakfast and head out to see Prague.  Dad and B had used the metro on Sunday with Boyd and his boys but this was our first day on our own.  It didn't take us long to find the metro station near our apartment.  I had a map and metro schedule and we were off!

Our first destination was the Prague Castle.

It was a holiday in Prague and there was a special event happening at the castle.  Many "dignitary cars" were coming and going.   

The "castle" is huge.  Many, many buildings cover the grounds.  The cathedrals were just as amazing in Prague as they were in Germany.

Inside the St. Vitus Cathedral

There were many tombs where royalty and "saints" were buried.

Saint Wenceslas Chapel

(You know the song "Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen..."  He was a real king!)

We climbed the 285 steps up the bell tower.

The view from the bell tower was amazing.  And one again, clear skies!  All the locals kept telling us, "This is quite unusual weather."  If only they knew how long we had prayed for good weather for our vacation!!

The Charles Bridge is on our agenda for the afternoon.

The festivities below ended and everyone left as quickly as they had arrived.

What goes up, must go down.  And so we walked back down.

Our friends had told us to try to catch a changing of the guards.  So we followed after these guys.  But another guard stopped us and wouldn't let us go that way.  We found a different way to get there and made it just in time.

Inside St. George's Basilica

We found these treats to enjoy as a snack before lunch.  It's vacation, so dessert before the meal is perfect!

The East side of St. Vitus Cathedral

Another entrance into Prague Castle

There were people on the street dressed up as different characters.  Even this "king's" face is painted gold.  He scared our kids as we walked by and he moved.  So we had to take some photos - and leave him a tip.

Walking from the castle toward the Charles Bridge.  So glad we took public transportation to the castle and walked DOWN to the bridge instead of the other way.

We didn't have a clue how to read the signs in Czech Republic.

This sign was easy to read and we found it just as the "I'm hungry" phrase started being heard.

 Our first up close view of the Vltava River.  We had finally made it to the Charles Bridge.  It's interesting to think that this one bridge "made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe" up until the mid-1800's.

Boyd, Jennie and Mason came to see us for the afternoon.  It was a treat to hear facts from someone who has lived there long enough to know about the city.  It was also a treat just to see them one more time.  (To say it was a windy day is an understatement!)

There are 16 arches.

For our after lunch dessert, we enjoyed some gelato.

We timed our adventure to be at the Astronomical Clock when it "rang".

A building near the clock.  Loved the detail artwork on it.

The crowd kept getting bigger and bigger.

Finally!

Everyone watching...

...and taking photos.  

We said "goodbye" again to the Hatchels then headed back to our apartment.  The sun was beginning to set and we still had to pack.

The National Museum is behind us in the distance.

Walking up the street we saw several performers including Native Americans...

...and Australians...

and Scottish.

The entrance to our apartment building.

After packing we decided to head back out to eat dinner.

Thinks looked different at night.

The National Museum at night.

Oh, Prague, we did not have enough time to get to know you very well.  We hope to see you again one day!!  Until then, we loved seeing you for one day!