Day 7: Prague.

I can't believe I'm at the end of my first week already! This trip has been a whirlwind so far. Anyway, on to more of my Praguean adventures.

Today I was up at 8am after quite a good nights sleep. After going through the usual morning routine I headed up to the dining room for a breakfast of cereal, yoghurt and bread (again making myself a sneaky sandwhich for later). After breakfast it was straight out to explore the city. Today's main goal was to see the castle on the other side of the river. So with that in mind I headed over to the Charles Bridge, this time with the intention of crossing it. The bridge is really pretty, with little stalls set up along it selling postcards and jewellery. You can also get a pretty good view of the castle and city from the bridge. When I reached the other side I started the climb up to the castle (and it was a fair climb, up an almost neverending winding hill). When I reached the top I took in the view. From the castle you can see all across the city and down the river. After a few pictures I headed into the castle square. Its not your typical castle, certainly not anything like what we are used to. Its more a collection of really ornate buildings joined together, surrounding a cathedral. you can't go inside the actual castle, but walking around is really nice. I entered through the main castle gates and walked through the streets, passed the cathedral, and out the gate at the other side (not as grand as the front one). At the back of the castle there is a wall with a viewing platform from which you can see more of the city. I managed to stop an Australian man (there are a lot of Australian tours around Prague for "older" travellers) to take a photo of me. After I had taken in the view, I started the descent back down to the centre of town.

I walked along the river for a bit, heading in the direction of the furnicular railway which goes up this hill called Petrin which has an mini Eiffel tower-like sturcture at the top. Travelling up the railway also gives you yet another great view of the surrounding city. At the top of the hill I walked over to the tower to take some pictures. There is a viewing platform at the top, but to get to it you have to climb up a narrow staircase that winds round the outside of the tower, and even though this is probably only about 10% as big as the Eiffel tower, I didnt fancy it. So after that slight hiccup I headed back down on the furnicular in search of food.

I found a really nice little restaraunt with pavement seating, and as it was quite warm (finally!) I sat outside. For today's lunch I had duck with dumplings and red cabbage (the usual accompaniment to any Czech meal it seams). The meal was really nice (as with all the food i have tried so far). Just as I was finishing eating this elderly trio decided to sit down next to me (as I had sat on a table of 4 and there were no other seats), which was fine, until they started smoking. I quickly paid my bill and moved on. By this point I had covered most of the sights on this side of the river, so I headed back over to the side I was staying on. On the advice of the receptionist at the hostel I decided to take a scenic walk along the river bank down to this church on top of (yet another) hill. Walking along the riverbank was really nice, and I decided to stop for a bit to sit with my feet dangling over the edge to give them a break. After this little pitstop I started the climb up to the church. The climb was worth it though. From the hill you can see most of Prague, and the church is really pretty, especially the cemetery (which even though its sad, it is really well looked after and there are flowers everywhere). I had another little break up on the hill and sat looking over the city.

It was late afternoon now, and I had done a lot of walking (climbing 3 hills!), so I decided to slowly make my way back to the hostel. As I was walking down the hill I noticed a guy walking behind me (he was wearing a fluorescent orange coat and shorts so he wasn't exactly difficult to miss). I crossed over the road to see if he would follow, and he did, so I walked into a shop. He walked by and after a while I carried on towards the river. When I got to the traffic lights next to the river I noticed him again, so I quickly crossed over the road to the riverbank. He stayed on the other side though and walked to the tram stop. I don't know if he was actually following me or not, but he kept looking in my direction which made me uncomfortable. I didnt see him again though. Anyway, I got sidetracked there a bit. Because the walk along the riverbank was so nice I decided to take the same route back up to the Charles Bridge. From the bridge I headed over to the Old Jewish cemetery, as I still had a little Koruna left to spend. The cemetery and adjoining synagogue are really interesting, and quite sad. Inside the synagogue, lining the walls, are all the names of the Jewish people from the area that died during the war, its quite a powerful image when you walk inside. The cemetery itself is even more harrowing as it is completely filled with tombstones, scattered all over the place. After walking around for a bit I finally made my way back to the hostel.

So there you have my final day in Prague. In addition to all the beautiful buildings, churches, and streets, I have noticed a few things about the city: I have never seen so many mullet hairstyles before in one place, people stare a lot (I don't even think they realise they are doing it half the time), and although the cobbled streets are really pretty they are not the easiest terrain to walk on (especially considering the already fragile state of my feet). Despite all these little quirks, Prague is without a doubt my favourite city!

Tomorrow its wime to move on again though. Next stop, Bratislava. Watch this space.

Lois x