Prague: Day 3

Another late night, another late start to the next day. Though we only really visited two parts of town today, they were both simply spectacular sites with scenic views from atop a hill. The first was a fortress on the south side of the city, called Vyšehrad (hrad means castle in Czech). It was like a little village upon the hill, and I could just imagine how well guarded it must have been many centuries ago.

There were several people just taking a stroll through a park area with old statues. It seemed like a nice place for locals to come for a break from the busy, touristy city below. There was even a beautiful basilica and a graveyard nearby, with graves several hundreds of years old as well as one I saw as recent as last year. It was also nice to get a different view of the city that many visitors probably don't get, as most will only go to the castle on the other side of the river.

After a comfortable amount of time spent both relaxing and exploring the fortress, we made our way back down to the nearby metro station and headed toward the famous Prague Castle. Hiking up the hill through those charming little streets filled with shops was as magical as Edinburgh.

The view from the castle was marvelous, gazing out over all the red roofed houses and businesses across the city. It was really quite impossible not to fall in love with this place. The grounds of the castle itself, still in use today by the Czech government, were equally as stunning as the view it enjoys. With plenty of Gothic architecture and gilded structures, this old and well preserved place exuded a richness and pride that was surely intended by its inhabitants. It certainly was unforgettable; perhaps one of my favorite castles I've seen so far.

It was getting late, so we decided to head to nearby Strahov Monastery and Monastic Brewery (namely St Norbert) for dinner. Extra fun was the beer menu, which had an IPA that paid homage to Bond in its representative image, complete with female silhouettes wielding guns and a British flag backdrop.

With some more delicious traditional local cuisine in our happy bellies, we made the long walk back home, purposely saving this part for last. This was our final major site to see: Charles Bridge, by moonlight.

We purchased our second order in as many days of the sugary and scrumptious Czech dessert called Trdlo, and enjoyed it while strolling across the majestic bridge back toward our beds.

As the sweet dessert dissolved upon my tongue and the glow of the bridge and surrounding city lights dissolved into the night, I reflected upon a wonderful and fulfilling three days in Prague and promised myself that I would return someday soon to this magical city on the river.