Journey to Prague Castle

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"Wow! It looks like a magazine!" Ava's eyes were wide as we walked into St. Vitus Church. I have to agree, it was grandiose. The ceilings were high covered in ornate decorations. The front of the church had an amazing altar. There were ornate and brightly-colored stained glass windows covering half of the wall space. Mom and I spoke about royal weddings throughout history taking place in this church, and what amazing affairs they must have been. After all, St. Vitus is inside Prague Castle. We walked all around the castle, taking in the grandeur. Unfortunately, it was very cold outside. It was windy and had snowed on and off throughout the afternoon. When we first arrived to the castle, I was feeling famished. We decided to go into the first English-speaking restaurant that I found. We happened upon a real gem. This place was beautiful and had really good food. It was a little more than we had intended to spend, but with it being right next to Prague castle, that was to be expected. After walking around the castle grounds for a few hours, I decided that Ava and I would have to come back and see it in the spring. We were chilled to the bone and ready to go back to the hotel.

We are staying at Hotel Aron. This is a nice little spot about 10 minutes (using bus 133 or 207 to the Cerninova bus stop) from a major bus station (Florence), which is one subway stop from Old Town, Prague. Our first day here, we bought a 72 hour pass for around $15 that allows us unlimited use of all public transportation (bus, subway, and tram). It's a pretty good deal, because it cost $2 to take the bus once. It took a minute for us to find the hotel Friday morning, but it is worth the short trip from the center of town. Hotel Aron is very clean, quiet, safe, and offers a wonderful breakfast (free) with just about anything you would want for breakfast for about $45/night. I definitely recommend this place to other travelers, especially those who want to avoid Hostels. There are people staying here from all over the world.

I would like to add that I really had to watch my two traveling companions today! Mom walked in front of a moving tram and almost met her maker. I had to pull her by the front of her jacket and the tram almost grazed her backside. Then, when we were on our way back to the hotel, we stepped on the escalator. Then, I looked down and saw that the incline was super steep. It was kind of like rapelling down a cliff! Mom realized this and was terrified. We were able to get down the escalator, but mom was really shaken. The subway platform was the the bottom of the escalator and Ava went running for the tracks. I grabbed her up before she got to the edge, but that certainly caused my heart to pound a bit. It was a rough first day, and we are hoping for a better, warmer day tomorrow. Enjoy the photos!

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Photos

Stoli (sp?)
This is one of the tiles on the outside of the cathedral.

Stoli (Sp?)
Another 3D tile on the outside of the cathedral