Today we head back out into the countryside about 30 km southwest of Prague to visit one of many Czech castles. There is a river, the Berounka, which must be crossed before reaching the village where we were told that the road to the castle was uphill for 2 km. Of course it is! Even John was winded by the time we got to the top where we found yet another wedding party.
Karlstejn Castle was built in the mid 14th Century by Charles IV who was the Czech king as well as the Emperor for the Holy Roman Empire. It was designed and used as the depository for the royal and empire; including the coronation, jewels and an archive for state documents. The style of construction is gothic and built in 3 phases. One of the most intriguing features for me was the height of the steps which were at least 15 inches high. My assumption is that folks 700 years ago were much shorter than we are so why the taller steps? The answer: horses went into the castle and this was done for their benefit. Other areas of interest included the toilet (only two for such a large house) hangs out over the wall and the waste drops directly and the King’s secret staircase to the Queens’ chamber. The reason for the plural is that Charles took 4 wives; mostly to increase his wealth and empire, the first of which he married when they were both 7 years old. He did not share his room with his wife but did want easy access when he wanted her company hence a strong door and stairs to her rooms.
We were informed that the most valuable areas are the interiors of the Tower of the Virgin Mary, the Great Tower which includes the Chapel of the Holy Cross where among other valuable items is suppose to be a chip of the True Cross. Access to the castle is by guided tours only and our little tour guide, Lucia, was doing her first English presentation and was quite nervous. She had a series of keys with which she opened and locked each room as we entered and exited them. Pictures were not allowed inside the various rooms.
On the way up to the castle, we saw a fellow in medieval garb with a very large owl who was selling the opportunity to have your picture taken with the owl. This really intrigued John so on the way down he posed with the owl. I did the best I could to get a good picture but the fellow did rather rush the situation so I did not get the quintessential wildlife photo but you can see the size of the bird.
The village through which you walk to the castle is very picturesque with tourist targeted shops. The only ones of interest to me were the Bohemian glass which is very ornate and relatively inexpensive here. The challenge, if purchased, would be to get them home intact as they are quite fragile.
Returning to Prague, John again took up his concern about the taxi fraud with the Tourist Information Office who referred him to three policemen.
It is still incredibly hot so instead of having the local food which is quite heavy with loads of dumplings, I had a Greek salad and loads of water.
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