It had rained heavily overnight, but as we left the room for breakfast, the rain seemed to be easing. Breakfast was a modest affair, fruit juice, cereals, bread rolls etc, with cold meats and cheese. The plan for the day was to visit Prague Castle, so once breakfast was over and we had got ourselves wrapped up we left the Botel and headed along the river bank in the Castle’s direction. It was a cold morning, so I was glad I had put on extra layers. At one point, on the other side of the river, on top of the cliff a giant metronome was swaying backwards and forwards, most intriguing! But we carried on alongside the river until we came to the Charles Bridge, the most famous bridge in Prague. We crossed the bridge, noting the statues of saints along its side and then began a long climb up the hill, past tourist shops, bars and restaurants to reach the castle grounds. The sun came out and as we reached a viewing area at the top we had marvellous views across the city. We crossed open squares with very ornate street lighting until we arrived at the Castle gates, with unfortunate guards outside who were constantly surrounded by mainly oriental tourists clicking their cameras. After buying tickets for the Long Tour we began our tour by looking around the Cathedral of St Vitas, an impressive structure which can be seen from all parts of Prague. The stained glass windows were very impressive. From the cathedral we went to see the museum showing the history of the castle, most informative, and I think an important focus for the relatively new Czech Republic. Next came a brief walk around St George’s Chapel followed by a stroll down a mediaeval street within the castle walls. After 4 hours in the castle it was time to head back down the hill to grab something to eat. The main object of the day being completed, the rest of the day would be more relaxed. We grabbed a Czech version of a hot dog in Wenceslas Square then wandered around the charming cobbled streets, eventually ending up at a little bar for a few beers. It was planned to spend the night in the hotel, using the restaurant and the unsmiling waitress. So once back on the boat and having watched the news on CNN we headed to the hotel restaurant. I sampled carp for the first time, didn’t realise it had such big bones! Another evening in the bar followed, very nice.
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