Prague day 3: Castle, church and more brown food

We started our day with a tram ride across the Vltava River and up the hill to the Castle Quarter where we met our local guide, Tereza, at the largest castle complex in Europe. It contains the country’s largest church, St. Vitus, the royal palace, several museums and the St. George Basilica, as well as formal gardens.

A diminutive red-head, Tereza was informative with a typically Czech caustic sense of humor. She efficiently led our group through the stifling crowds in the most visited site in Prague. We had to maneuver around tour groups from all over the globe, especially from Asian countries.

We first visited St.Vitus, a gothic structure built over six centuries. Half the cathedral was built in the 14th century whereas the back half was completed in the 1920s. It is filled with glorious stained glass windows and contains the tombs of Czech rulers (for a long time the Catholic Hapsburgs) as well as the remains of Saints Vitus, John of Nepomuk and Wenceslas.

Above is St. John’s tomb, over one ton of silver. The confessor to the queen, he was killed in the 11th century because he would not reveal to the king if she had a lover. Notice the image of a tongue on the shield to which the angel is pointing. The saint’s relic of a tongue ( how ironic for the priest who would not talk) was found to actually be brain tissue upon further research by anthropologists.

Above is the tomb of King Wenceslas, famous in Britain and the United States because of the Christmas carol, he lived in the early 10th century and brought Christianity to the region. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic, the most unreligious country in the world (20% Catholic, 80% atheist/agnostic)!

St. Vitus is a popular site for wedding photos for Asians who come to Prague to be married. We saw three couples on photo shoots in the brief span of one hour.

We then entered the old Royal Palace with its oversized Vladislav Hall, the site of jousting competitions, markets, and inaugurations of Czech presidents. In 1618, Czech Protestants threw two Catholic governors out of a window (called defenestration). They landed in a pile of horse manure, survived, and this event ignited the Thirty Years War.

After a brief bathroom and refreshment break, we continued to the formal gardens for the panoramic view of Prague.

Our official touring for the day was over. We continued up the hill with three of our tour mates (Chris and Angela, Frank) to a monastery that has a brewery (surprise!) as it was approaching lunchtime. We caught the changing of the guard en route.

Lunch was the usual – meat, cheese and beer. I couldn’t find anything with chlorophyll or fiber on the menu. I had a potato soup (in a bread bowl that I did not eat), Tony had the Czech version of goulash, a beefy stew with bread dumplings, and we shared a cheese plate.

(Typical bread dumplings)

We had a fun time talking with our new friends. Chris is an electrical engineer from Illinois who married an Italian (Angela). He entertained us with stories of his gaffes with the Italian language and culture. Frank is the photographer of the group.

We did not visit the monastery library and the church was locked. We then walked down the hill eventually reaching the Charles Bridge. On our way, we passed a vineyard just below the monastery.

Back at the hotel after almost 6 miles of walking for the day, it was time for a little rest before an evening stroll and dinner.

We headed out to Wenceslas Square, a pedestrian avenue that was the site of the 1968 rebellion against the communist regime. Three hundred thousand people gathered to protest for the right to own a small business, have freedom to travel, have freedom of the press. The result was an invasion of troops from Russia, Hungary, and Bulgaria and an increased Soviet presence until 1989. With the collapse of the USSR, Czechoslovakia finally became a free nation. Now it is a gathering place for shoppers, partiers, and tourists as it is lined by shops, bars and restaurants. I finally was able to photograph the statue of St. Wenceslas as my efforts were thwarted the past two days because of rain.

We then strolled the streets of the old town and dined outside. We finally found a salad!