Prague Day 2, A Thorough Visit of the Prague Castle with Beautiful Views

Sunday, May 18th

Today was our only full day together in Prague, and we made the absolute most of it. However, we did sleep in a bit, but to no one’s complaint because I woke up groggy from the jet lag, and Amelia was tired as well. We got ready and left for breakfast at 9:15 am, arriving at La Bella Vida around 10 am. Amelia and I had the conversation about at what point the walk is too long and an Uber/public transport is necessary, and I said 40 minutes, which I thought she'd for sure be below, but when she gave a 50-minute walk, I knew our travel styles came together so well. I'm so pro-walking, so we departed on our 45-minute walk to breakfast with a cheer in our step.

La Bella Vida was a quaint and adorable place to have a coffee and enjoy breakfast. It was still a bit chilly, with the cool air and slight breeze with no sun to assist. So, we had to pass on the perfect patio table along the river with a view of the city. But, thankfully, the inside was just as picturesque and kept us warm, and we found the cutest corner with simple decor, plants, and natural light to enjoy our breakfast. A great start to the day.

After having our fix at La Bella Vida, we made our way to the Waldstein Garden. We took our time, and I made sure to enjoy the slow morning we were having, wandering around the city, stopping in places to give them a look, and enjoying my time with Amelia. When I'm alone, I’m always trying to fit in as much as I can in the day, rushing from one place to the next. But, there is something so peaceful about knowing there are plenty of minutes in the hour and hours in the day, such that it wasn’t necessary for me to try to beat the clock. Instead, I slowed down and followed the pace that allowed us to properly take in the scenery around us.

The Waldstein Gardens were beautiful. We strolled around to view the beautiful landscaping and statues, visiting each nook of the place. We admired two peacocks, one the typical blue and the other, a pure white, something neither of us had seen before. There was a beautiful amphitheater on the other half of the gardens with ornate ceilings. I loved how interested Amelia was in the little details of the places we visited, soaking in her surroundings and finding the beauty in everything around her. It made me think twice about the time I spent taking photos and actually appreciating what I was seeing. Another great reminder to be where your feet are, find the present, and enjoy it the best you can. 

Our next stop for the day was the main attraction, the Prague Castle. It sat on top of a hill, so we began journeying onward to get to our destination. We began climbing the hill, easy business for two fit girls that love to walk. Along the way, we saw this adorable cafe and turned in to admire the view from up high. It was an incredible overlook of the city with a sea of burnt orange roofing and pastels and creams filling the space below. There was no place to sit, so as much as we wanted to enjoy this view, we kept on going. Then, to our luck, there was another larger restaurant on the very top of the hill that offered the same panoramic views, and we were even able to snag a table with an unobstructed view. We knew this was a sign to stop and stay, even though we were steps away from the Castle, what we came up here for, but to us, this was equally as lovely.

Amelia and I chatted while taking in the picture painted in front of our eyes. This was one of my very favorite things to do while traveling... drinking a coffee with a friend somewhere with an incredible view. How did I get so lucky to be with such an amazing friend in a place as cool as Prague? I was feeling mega grateful. And not even to mention the sun came out, shining down on us, offering freely both serotonin and melanin. I could have stayed in that spot for the rest of the day. We were there for so long, almost two hours into our adventure of touring the castle, and we had yet to enter the gates.

Finally, we made it onto the Castle grounds! We hadn't yet purchased a ticket to tour the palace, so we walked the free gardens around the castle as we decided whether or not it was worth going inside. Something I found so unique about the Prague Castle was how it was settled in a neighborhood on this hill. The majority of the castles and fortresses I've visited in Europe stand alone. But here, a town was built around the castle, and I loved that. It was so refreshing to see homes, shops, and streets casually rested next to the Castle, as if they prioritized community over power.

Each step we took changed our view slightly, and we made so many stops to admire what felt like a novel sight. We even caught the changing of the guards; thankfully, it wasn’t a very large ordeal, unlike London, where it feels like they put on a show for it.

Around the corner was the grand facade of the St. Vitus Cathedral. We didn’t have tickets to go inside, and this was the one sight I did really want to see. But, the outside was beautiful enough, and we moved on. There was another little basilica that we were able to glance in, but again we were missing the ticket to enter and see it up close. Budget traveling, you know? But, what we really wanted to see, Golden Lane, a row of colorful homes within the grounds of the Castle that even Franz Kafka resided in for a few years to focus on his writing. But of course, that you needed a ticket for. So, we caved and purchased an entrance ticket that allowed us to see a portion of the Palace, the Cathedral, Basilica, and Golden Lane. And I'm grateful we did because everything was so beautiful. Golden Lane was at the very end of our loop around the Castle, so we essentially backtracked, this time going around to see the inside of each of these buildings. 

Starting with Vladislav Hall, a grand ceremonial hall in the Old Royal Palace within Prague Castle. There wasn't anything particular we wanted to see here, but it was part of the ticket package, and the only glimpse we had into the Castle, and we were content with visiting it. The ceilings were vaulted, gothic style, drawing your attention straightaway. We got to walk through a few rooms as well and admire the crown jewels that lived in a glass display case there.

Next was St. George's Basilica. I was quite impressed when we got inside. Pews filled the back half of the church, and looking toward two curved staircases that ran upwards and toward each other. We didn't have any sort of guide to inform us what we were looking at, but I was very certain that below the staircase, behind a gated door, were most certainly the remains of important figures from this country.

Next, what I really wanted to see the interior of, St. Vitus Cathedral. We were both in awe of the stained glass windows. I was so amazed by the detail, color, and size of the windows. And they lined the walls, one after the other, around the entirety of the Cathedral. I have truly never seen stained glass windows like these, and I formed a new appreciation for them. There were also many other ornate details on display throughout the church that we saw as we did our loop down to the altar and back. We spent a good amount of time in here as there was a lot to see and appreciate.

Lastly, why we bought the tickets, Golden Lane. It was pretty crowded within this narrow street, making it hard to enjoy the quintessential aspect of the homes along this street. Also, it was more of a museum than it was preserved homes. Within each home, they set up mock living spaces of who lived there and what was in their home, what a person living here did for a living, and how their home was constructed around their occupation. For example, we walked through the home of a filmmaker in which he had a closet filled with films and a room designated for watching movies. Some of the homes were turned into gift shops - one being the home Kafka rented for a couple of years in the 1910s. I’ve become quite the Kafka fan on this trip. 

That was our last entrance from our package of tickets. We were tired and hungry and thankfully made reservations for an early dinner at Matzip, a Korean restaurant in Old Town. We both ordered our own appetizer and main meal and easily finished them, putting down some veggie fried dumplings and tofu bibimbap. I also made a faint attempt to use chopsticks, but I did it in my incorrect way, and I swear the waiters were staring at me, one because we were the only non-Koreans eating here, and two, after a few minutes of fumbling around with the chopsticks, I switched to the spoon (the only other available utensil given), and I swear at that exact moment the waiters laughed. Yeah, I probably would too lol. I am fully aware that I don’t use chopsticks properly, and I should probably practice the technique, but this happens so rarely that I just accept the humiliation. 

U Prince Rooftop

The night was young, and although we were tired and it started raining outside, I did not want to just return to the hostel and retire to our beds and phones. So, I rallied Amelia to go to U Prince Rooftop, a restaurant/bar with a view of the Astronomical Clock and Church in the Main Square. You could tell we were a bit tired because we were making jokes and laughing hysterically. We were talking about anything and everything while sipping on our single overpriced beverage. This achieved my "so Prague" wish, and I was happy that we fit in one more stop before calling it a day. We stayed there for a couple of hours, chatting until the sun began to set and marking the end of our wonderful day taking in the beautiful city of Prague. A successful day, to say the least.