Getting on the road early to beat the crowds, Tim's well laid plan only survived our need for our first toilet break. As I mentioned before, not only do you have to pay to use one, they are few and far between. After a panicked 20 minute search through the park we were on track again, just a bit late. Al least there was some interesting art in the park to keep us distracted.
First stop was the John Lennon Wall; a wall covered in graffiti that is constantly evolving. The 'art' was surprisingly good and clearly nostalgic as there was a couple getting their wedding photos. Right next to the wall is also a love lock bridge; seems fitting that they are together.
We walked through the cute side street toward the Prague Castle. The route was quite steep as the castle is located atop a large hill. Although it was a cool day, we arrived tired and sweaty. We were greeted by spectacular views!
The castle was already getting busy and it was only pushing 9 am. We were going to wait to watch the military changing of the guards, but in the short couple minutes we were there, the security line doubled (it was about 10 times longer when we left!). We opted to watch it on the way out instead.
After passing through security the magnitude of the crowds became apparent. There were line-ups with well over 500 people stretching hundreds of feet all trying to get into the Cathedral. We skipped the lines and opted to enjoy the gardens, architecture and jaw dropping views; with very few people.
The decent to Old Town was much easier and the flow of the masses were heading toward the castle. When I say flow, I really mean it as there are thousands of people. We wadded across the Charles Bridge, which is very pretty. The sides are lined with statues.
As this was our last day in the city, we decided to brave the crowd and watch the astrological clock turn noon. We waited 10 minutes for about a 2 minute “show”. The clock has 2 doors that open and show the saints marching past; interesting little show, although, not as amazing as the crowds make it seem.
We enjoyed a delicious sausage on a bun and a fried cheese sandwich; basically a mozzarella stick on a bun. One nice part about Prague are the beautiful parks; just minutes from the hustle and bustle is Franciscan Garden.
After supper we decided to go to the mall across the street from our hotel for a while. There is a very interesting art sculpture out front that turns through out they day. We then headed in and called it a night, travel day to Budapest tomorrow.
