These two days were sweltering. I love hot weather but this was the sort of weather where sweat sits on your upper lip and permanently trickles down your back. This is NOT sightseeing weather.
We drove into Prague the day after we arrived in Karlstejn. We thought M might need her eyes tested after she insisted she’d seen a camel on the way! Prague is way bigger than we’d realised and quite spectacular. We’d need a lot more time to explore it properly but to be honest the children are still a little young for days of sightseeing. We walked 8 miles through Prague, visiting some of the main tourist spots – Wenceslas Square, The Charles Bridge and Prague Castle above it.
The Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava River and is named after King Charles IV. It was absolutely heaving with tourists, weaving in and out of musicians busking and stalls selling all sorts of things. We met my brother and his soon to be wife at the end of the bridge and enjoyed a lovely lunch with them before climbing the many steps up to the castle. Prague Castle is a castle complex dating back to the 9th century. The castle was a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia. The castle is spectacular itself but also provides beautiful, sprawling views across the city.
The next day we walked up the road to Karlstejn Castle. We had a superb tour guide with a dry sense of humour, who taught us about the history of the castle and surrounding area. He led us up many flights of stairs to the top of the tower, so high it made my legs shake. Karlstejn Castle is phenomenal. It is a large Gothic castle founded by Charles IV in 1348. It sits at the top of a hill in amongst the trees, so that from the road it isn’t visible. When you walk up the road it suddenly appears and takes your breath away as you round the corner. It’s the stuff of fairy tales and legends and we had a brilliant morning there.
Walking back we yet again questioned the girls’ eyesight, as E was convinced she’d seen a kangaroo and M was certain she saw a lion. Maybe this place really is magical?!
As we crossed the river I asked S if we could go out on his uncle’s boat when we are in Croatia. I thought maybe we could visit one of the islands (yes I did watch Mama Mia recently). Eva piped up that’d she’d love to do that as she’d always wanted to visit Ireland! She then asked if perhaps we could sail to the Maldives. I must get this girl to look at an atlas at some point.
In the evening we met my mum and grandma at their campsite on the outskirts of Prague. We had a wonderful time swimming in the lake and then all had dinner together, discussing my brother’s impending wedding.
Prague is a magnificent city and I definitely hope to visit again in the future.
