The House on the Hill

Europe has a thing about castles. We saw them ruined, we saw them fixed up, close-up, far away, and we even got to walk through the grounds of some. Europeans may think it’s everyday and normal to live in the shadow of a castle but to those of us who grew up in boring old North America, it’s pretty darned cool.

Prague Castle was a tram ride and a long walk up a hill from our hotel. Much of the castle’s grounds were being renovated during our visit. The giant blue tarps did nothing to take away from the splendor though. From statues depicting people about to be killed in various gruesome ways to a fountain where women kept openly flirting with Hubby, there was something to see in literally every direction.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the biggest “ancient” castle in the world. Its history dates back to the first millennia AD and the buildings within its grounds reflect the various architectural styles of the intervening years.

One of my favorite parts of the castle complex was Saint Vitus's Cathedral. Even though I can’t tell Ionic columns from Doric, even I could slap the “gothic” label on this magnificent building. Although we had been planning on cheaping out on the paid tour of the cathedral, we were officially scared away by the literally mile long line of people waiting to get inside. Short of being given the Bohemian Coronation Jewels locked within the church, there was no way I was waiting in that line.

As we walked around the exterior of the Cathedral, I kept expecting it to start moving or groaning as it looked like a cross between the house from Rose Red and Hogwarts. Eerie gargoyles perched and hung off the sides of the religious edifice daring the devoted to enter its domain.

Franz Kafka once called a house along Golden Lane within the castle complex home. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was here that he wrote “The Castle.” They do say to write what you know, after all.

There were interesting things to look at and find around almost every corner. My favorite was definitely the mysterious calendar we found on the wall near the Vikarka Restaurant. I say “mysterious” because all of my subsequent attempts to find the same of this small find have resulted in a big goose egg. If you know what this photo is of, please tell me in the comments because it’s driving me crazy!

Hubby and I spent several pleasant hours exploring Prague Castle that day. We still had large portions of the city yet to explore but we couldn’t seem to tear ourselves away. The beautiful views of the city, the amazing moments hidden behind doorways, and the buzzing of tourists speaking dozens of languages all around me - there was something about Prague that made me want to call it home. Maybe someday…