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THE CZECH REPUBLIC -
AROUND PRAGUE
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Karlstejn is a small town with a tourist
honey-pot of an impressive castle. This is a major destination for trips
from Prague and there were coaches of several nationalities including the
UK in the car park where the charges
were 70CZK (3€) up to 2.7m high (our height -just!) and 300CZK (12€!)
for taller vehicles. There were many gift shops and horse drawn carriages
offering rides up the steep hill to the castle entrance. Of course we walked up the
hill to the impressive castle entrance where we were surrounded by parties of polite school children in multi-coloured
raincoats who certainly added some needed colour on a drab day. Only
guided tours are offered so we headed back down the hill and called in to
the Betlemu museum (45CZK 1.75€) with nativity
cribs and tableaux made from bread, gingerbread and decorated wood some
small and intricate and larger ones with animated figures. An
interesting place and as often we were the only visitors.
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Karlstejn Castle
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View from ramparts
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Colourful school party at Karlstejn
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Nativity crib made from gingerbread
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Nativity crib made from bread
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Intricate wooden nativity crib
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After lunch in the very wet carpark we relied on our satnav to steer us to
the edge of Prague and the Sunny Camp campsite in the western suburb of
Stodulky, surrounded by blocks of flats but it felt secure and there was a metro
station fairly close by. The site
was almost full and by coincidence we pitched next to the friendly Dutch
couple we had met at the Karlovy Vary site. There was also a Dutch
caravanners rally in the adjacent field. Our neighbours apologised for their noisy,
clog wearing, boules playing compatriots! Here was one of the few places
on our holiday where we
met some British motorhomers.
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A one day travel ticket obtained from the campsite reception was good
value at 100CZK (4€) each so we spent the next day, which luckily was
sunny again, in Prague. We are not great city lovers but managed to visit
many of the main attractions, hopping on the frequent trams after our legs began to
ache. After seeing the Fred and Ginger building, Jewish Quarter, the old
town square and the famous astronomical clock - just in time for its midday chime, we found
our way back to Charles Bridge which was just too busy with tourists,
performers and stalls to be pleasant. However a few yards away from the
crowds we sat in a peaceful shady pedestrian square for lunch. Another
tram ride took us to the castle and the Loreto sanctuary, (110CZK
and no photography allowed) with its ornate chapel and cloisters and the
"Prague Sun" diamond studied monstrance in the Treasury. From there we walked to the park
on Petrin Hill with the mini Eiffel tower and took the funicular (included in the travel pass) and tram
to the centre then the metro back to the campsite.
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Fred and Ginger building
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St Vitus' cathedral from Vltava river
Old Town square
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Charles Bridge
A wild camping spot? not for us!
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Prague art deco shopfront
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Prague - Astronomical clock
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Prague - doorway detail
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Loreto Sanctuary
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Vintage car tours
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crowds on Charles Bridge
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Although we found Prague
interesting and with many attractive sights we decided one day would be
enough for us. We were glad to get away from the tourist trappings and the
pestering of leafleteers. There weren't many customers for the vintage car
tours at 950CZK (37€) a time or for the services of "The
Experienced Guide"
The Experienced Guide awaits
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Prague's "Eiffel tower" on Petrin Hill
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The next day we set off for the Prague ring road which was jammed solid
so took a very erratic route getting lost several times in the rather
less than attractive southern suburbs and eventually reached the open
countryside from where looking back the whole of Prague seemed to be
blocks of flats. We reached the smarter town of Nymburk for some
shopping in a supermarket (and Magnum icecreams at less than £1 each!)
then headed north to the area known as the Bohemian Paradise near Jicin.
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Bohemian Paradise >>
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