One fine day - Prague Castle, the cityscape and Golden Lane

in #hive-1637722 years ago

Today I'm going to revisit a serene November Saturday spent in Prague. After reading some "Prague for the weekend" articles, I knew more or less what to expect. On the one hand, I wanted to see as many exciting places as possible; on the other hand, I wanted to have enough time to appreciate these places properly. I think I succeeded because I came back filled with impressions.

I spent the forenoon in the Old Town Square area (I wrote about it here), then headed to another must-see spot in the Czech capital - Hradčany. I crossed the Vltava River via the Mánes Bridge. The day was sunny and relatively warm (about 8°C).

1668461268094.jpg

Petřín Lookout Tower - I didn't get there during my weekend trip, unfortunately.

P1220144.jpg

Sightseeing Hradčany is an ambitious and unrealistic task to accomplish in one day. At least, in my opinion, because everyone has their own definition of "sightseeing." The complex is so vast that a week would not be enough to look into every nook and cranny. I like to explore places and people in depth. However, I only had half a day and the determination to see as much as possible.

Slowly, enjoying the views, I walked to Malá Strana, also known as Lesser Town. The castle complex, with its towering cathedral, looked magnificent.

P1220149.jpg

P1220148.jpg

Prague is also details that catch the eye and distract you :)

P1220162.jpg

P1220165.jpg

You have to climb several (or more 😉) steps to achieve the hill with the castle.

1668461268038.jpg

1668461268056.jpg

Along the way, magnificent views emerged. There were crowds eager for a selfie with Prague in the background.

P1220324.jpg

With a little patience, I could meet one-on-one with the city.

1668461267282.jpg

P1220179.jpg

P1220331.jpg

The ants on the Charles Bridge 🙂

P1220330.jpg

Despite the nice weather, smog was visible - such a "charm" of big cities :/

P1220470.jpg

P1220471.jpg

P1220177.jpg

In the city skyline, a more than 200 meters high TV tower stood out. Only in the photos did I notice the sculptures of crawling children. It looked amazing.

P1220190.jpg

--

At the entrance to the castle, you have to go through an inspection. The queue was very long, but I didn't wait much time. I bought a ticket to enter Golden Lane and the cathedral.

I can't remember the castle buildings themselves; I probably only paid attention to what was extraordinary to my eyes.

What I wanted to see the most was The Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička), as this is the place I remember most from my first visit to Prague 30 years ago. Perhaps that is why I remained blind to my surroundings and headed straight to the point.

A narrow alley paved in cobblestones, along which colorful and crooked houses stretch, creates a fairy-tale atmosphere. For hundreds of years, artisans (originally goldsmiths - hence the name), defenders of the castle, and servants lived and worked here.

P1220212.jpg

This time the charming alley was packed with tourists, but I wasn't disappointed at all. I was part of this crowd myself :)
It was here that I heard one of the tourists complaining about the crowd, saying: I don't take pictures; I can find better ones on google. It made me laugh a lot and think at the same time. Today we can visit almost the whole world without leaving home. I started traveling while still in the analog world, so the real-world experience will always be better for me than the virtual one.

It was hard to take good photos in a narrow street filled with people, indeed.

1668461267917.jpg

P1220247.jpg

P1220278.jpg

I found a way to deal with it - I photographed details, especially those above our heads :)

P1220200.jpg

P1220204.jpg

P1220216.jpg

P1220218.jpg

P1220279.jpg

P1220283.jpg

My friend and I arranged a bloodless hunt for the best shots. It was enough to wait a few minutes and show reflexes when there was no one in the frame for a few seconds. We had a great time!

P1220226.jpg

P1220266.jpg

Each house is a kind of mini museum. It is worth entering at least a few to feel the atmosphere of the past.

1668461267926.jpg

1668461267982.jpg

1668461267935.jpg

1668461267880.jpg

1668461267889.jpg

1668461267898.jpg

1668461267907.jpg

At the end of the street is Daliborka Tower, once housing a prison. Inside, you can see the torture instruments; I only went in for a moment and hardly took any photos. The thought of how people were once mistreated under the law makes my skin suffer. It's hard for me to comprehend how a human being can be so monstrously cruel on the one hand and great on the other.

P1220297.jpg

P1220302.jpg

P1220307.jpg

I didn't visit more interiors or the gardens; I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time for the cathedral. The spectacular St. Vitus Cathedral deserves a separate post. It appears regularly in posts by other Hive bloggers, by the way. I enjoy comparing how different people show the same places. Each of us individually perceives reality. We create our own worlds.

So, that's it for today 🌼 Thanks for your time; to the next!

ornament.png

--- Thanks for stopping by! --- @astinmin
I'm the only author of the text and photos

ornament.png

Sort:  

Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍

Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Pinmapple
  • Click the get code button
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (Hive only)
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

Manually curated by EwkaW from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1780.

Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!

Become part of our travel community:

Hi @astinmin, your post has been upvoted by @bdcommunity courtesy of @rehan12!


Support us by voting as a Hive Witness and/or by delegating HIVE POWER.

20 HP50 HP100 HP200 HP300 HP500 HP1000 HP

JOIN US ON

A fantastic place full of magic. Incredible photographs!!!
Thank you very much @astinmin 🤗

Happy you like it, @avdesing 😊

🤗✨

Reading your post took me back to the moments I also spent last December here in Prague ,she it is truly amazing.

Yes! I have enjoyed your posts about Prague a lot! It was so cool to see the city through your eyes.

Glad you liked it, there will be a few more posts coming from Prague, but not sure when yet.

untitled.gif
nice pics mum

love-you.gif

Awesome :) I have been really enjoying this Prague series of yours. I think I only visited the Golden Lane as a little kid and I´m pretty sure I didn´t actually look into the houses back then. It looks beautiful there! If only the whole place around the Castle wasn´t so touristy and crowded :D :/

I think I only visited the Golden Lane as a little kid and I´m pretty sure I didn´t actually look into the houses back then.

I remember that in your posts about Krakow, you showed many places I had only visited once (or not at all). Such a paradox :)

:)