We woke up to light rain beating on the windows and daylight filtering into the room. It is quite different looking out over the rooftops when you open your eyes. Breakfast downstairs then off along the cobblestone paths and roads toward our objective "Prague Castle". The clatter of feet on the cobblestones accompany us everwhere as it must have hundreds of years ago for its inhabitants. The rain had stopped when we came to the path that led us "Up" to Prague Castle. Up Up Up we went along the cobblestone path toward the castle that dominates the skyline. The records show Coronations, Matters of State, Laws and judgements as well as housing the Rulers over the centuries. The Castle was commisioned in 880 AD by the Ruler of Bohemia. It is the largest Castle in the world and after you have walked around it you would not disagree. It provides magnificent views and great vantage point for looking out for invaders of old. The climb to the top of St Vitus's Steeple was a killer at 287 stairs in a tight corkscrew all the way up. The view is magnificent but on jelly legs the 287 stairs on the way down was fun. The area around the castle is a rabbit warren of streets and small shops winding around over hill and down dale. After 3 hours of walking the castle interior we headed down towards lesser town and soaked up the atmosphere. You can go from crowds to loneliness at the turn of a corner. Back at the river we took a boat ride on the Vlatava River which provided another aspect of Prague. The weather has stayed overcast and cool so after walking for most of the day we headed back to the Klarov for a rest before heading out for dinner. We loved our stay in the Hotel Klarov as it is ideally positioned for getting around this very pretty city. Room 505 is well worth the stay. Meals are substantial and very tasty. Traditional Czech food is heavily reliant on sauces home made, and breads and dumpling and fantastic beers for washing it down. From our hotel walking is the way to go and it is easy to get all around.
