October 8

October 8

Our last full day in Prague. This morning e were up early and off to Karlstjen Castle outside of Prague about 30 kilometers. The castle was built in the 1400's as a place to protect the crown jewels if necessary. It was also used as a summer home It is well hidden in the mountains and until you are about on it you can't see it. We took a Gray Lines tour with a wonderful guide named Tatiania she told us that in the 50's they liked the Russian names but now they do not. She said that in addition to Czech and English she also speaks Spanish She learned Spanish in Castro's Cuba when her father emigrated there. They later emigrated to Canada where she learned English. She returned to the Czech Republic and was here under the communists. Her father was in Argentina by then and she could not communicate with him. She had a job as a translator from Spanish to Czech but she was not allowed to speak to anyone who spoke Spanish because she was not trustworthy enough. She is not particularly interested in the Russian tourists and won't guide them.

She also gave us great information about the city and countryside as we drove to and from the castle. We were with a group of just eight English speakers from the US, Canada and England.

The van left us about a kilometer from the entrance to the castle and we walked up a path through woods with trees turning wonderful fall yellows. We had a second guide through the castle a young man who also had very good English. As we entered and left each room on our tour he would lock and unlock the doors as did the guides who preceded and followed us. It was nice for us because the groups the sandwiched us were quite large and we had the room to ourselves. No pictures were allowed inside but I did get images of the outside. I am learning that while it is interesting to learn about the rooms and the people, really a castle is a castle is a castle, complete with the wooden hole to the outside for the bathroom.

We left the castle and walked this time down through the village at the base of the castle, from here we were able to see more views of the castle.

Back in town Nor and I wandered around below the Charles Bridge and had lunch by the river.

We are planning to go take more pictures this evening but the weather is changing and it is already raining and windy so we may just take it easy at the hotel.