Martin had left when I finally arrived at the Prague train station, but a very friendly man let me borrow his phone so that I could call Martin and tell him that I was on my way. And using his excellent directions from his Couchsurfing profile, I found my way to his house, no problem. My worries wouldn’t have been necessary – as they rarely are.
Martin had prepared dinner for me, homemade Slovak sausage and beer and he was such a lovely Couchsurfing host, considerate and he listened to me speaking about places I’ve been to, geography, gender roles and feminism for hours. Incredible patience. Yet another good-hearted member of the Couchsurfing community. It gives me hope in the future of the world.
After a good night sleep, I then took the metro into the city center to do some hardcore sightseeing in Prague on this my 33rd day of traveling (17/7).
The view of Prague from the castle hill. The Prague castle is huge. Like village all in itself. I really don’t get why one royal family needed such a big abode, successively built during the centuries. But then, I’m no king.
(According to Wikipedia, the Prague Castle is the world’s largest ancient castle, covering almost 70 000 m². Maybe the Bohemian kings wanted to be in the Guinness Book of Records.)
The St. Vitus Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague, built in the middle of one of the castle courtyards. THAT’S how big the castle complex is.
The cathedral was completely filled with tourists. Which was only expected, I suppose.
Right next to the castle, facing the city walls, was this beautifully decorated building. In a way, I found that much more impressive than the castle itself. But I didn’t go into the actual castle, so maybe I missed all the splendor and magnificence there. I just didn’t feel I needed to pay yet another entrance fee to see old furniture. I wanted to go out into the city, so that’s what I did.
Katja Malmborg 