St. Vitus Cathedral and the Prague Castle

The Prague Castle was founded in 880 AD and was built upon over the years. Originally it was surrounded by a moat and drawbridge for protection beyond the front gate.

Charles St Bridge

At the gates of the castle

Beyond the gates

St. Vitus Cathedral

Guarding the castle

Bridge, castle and cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle

The front doors

St. Vitus Cathedral

The main steeple is nearly 100m high while the others are merely 85m.
 The detail in the carvings on every aspect of this building was amazingly intricate.

Doors of the Cathedral

At the Cathedral Doors

the side of the Cathedral

Gargoyles on every corner

The Cathedral was literally so big that I could not capture any one wall entirely. 

the side of the Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

The cathedral

the ceiling

stained glass

stained glass

 They sure don't build them like they used to!!

Rose window

St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle

Inside the castle walls

Inside the castle walls

The castle is still used by the government of Czech Republic. It is also the home to the President of the country.

Inside the castle walls

The courtyard is massive within the castle walls where you have access to the cathedral. The castle occupies more than 70,000m2. It is enormous!!

Royal garden

taking time to smell the flowers

The walk from the castle back down the hill to the town was picturesque. The stairs followed the outside wall of the castle with a view of the breath taking view of the city.      

Stairs to the city

View from the castle

Lunch at the Spider Restaurant

Old decor

The Spider Restaurant

Inside the Spider

The next stop on our walking tour took us to the Spider Restaurant for our lunch break. It is a medieval tavern kept entirely in its original form until the food in '02. At that time it was recreated to its authentic decor as per the historical society by-laws. 

It was a cavernous space with the original stone walls...a good look at life in the 12th century.

Beautiful girls!!

The Metronome

This is a working metronome overlooking the Vltava River and the city centre. It was erected in 1991 on the spot where a statue of Joseph Stalin once stood with his entourage behind him. That statue was blown up in revolt in 1962.
The metronome stands 75 ft high, the same height as the former statue. It ticks away every day and symbolizes the years under Soviet control.

The Metronome

I was able to find an archive photo of the former statue as well as the demolition from 1962. The metronome stands on the same base that Stalin was on.

Blowed up REAL good!

Former Stalin Statue

The John Lennon Wall and Pub

Once a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John Lennon inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs. There was an underground culture that secretly listened to John Lennon's music and this wall became a source of irritation to the communist regime in 1988 and there was a clash. The wall was repainted and 2 days later it had graffiti on it again.  

The Wall

The Wall

The Wall

Singing Lennon Tunes

 

 This young guitarist was one of several who busk beside the wall each day. This group of random singers were visiting the wall and joined the band.

Peace and Love

Love Locks

Almost every city has a bridge with locks to symbolize a couples everlasting love for each other.