Prague "Castle"

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Today we decided to tackle the Prague Castle area of town. This is definitely the most touristy and crowded place in the city. We encountered more tourists and tour groups here than at many of the major attractions in Paris. Overall, Prague was full of tourists as levels we would not have expected this late in the season! The currency is more affordable than EU countries, and than Switzerland so we can see how that would make it attractive (1 US dollar = 24.4 Czech crowns).

The "Castle" isn't really a castle per se - it's a compound of buildings including churches, the royal palace, gardens, and several museums. St. Vitus's Cathedral was reminiscent of Notre Dame in Paris, with its Gothic architecture and flying buttresses. Disappointingly the palace was closed on this day. At noon, there was an impressive changing of the guard ceremony at the main gates. However it was so crowded, we couldn't see much of it. We were put off by the crowds and only spent a couple of hours at the "Castle."

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