Prague Day 3 - Karlstejn Castle, Vysehrad Castle

Karlstejn Castle, founded in the 1300s

10/16/2014

I promised a picture of the hotel buffet yesterday, so here it is:

I absolutely adore this flavor of tea. The key to teas here is to only brew for the time suggested, in this case, 2-3 minutes. At home, with green tea, I can leave the tea bag in there the whole day and it's still fine. But here, it'll turn bitter really fast. Following instructions will give you this light-as-air fragrant green tea, and I'm totally addicted to it.

The buffet had melons of different sorts, and this is one I've never seen before back home. It tastes almost like honeydew, but crunchier and much, much sweeter. I think I ate half a melon's worth!

We wanted to do a day trip to Karlstejn Castle today, as it's one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Czech Republic. Angel and I almost decided against making this trek last night, as it was late and we were tired, so we were dragging our feet about researching how to get there. In the end, I'm so glad we went! We bought the train tickets late last night online, as there's a 3% discount if you buy online. Not only this, but Czech Railways has a 5% discount if you buy round-trip (versus one way) and there's a group discount. The group discount is based on a tier system of:

1st person pays 100% of fare
2nd person pays 75% of fare
Any additional person thereafter pays 50% of fare

You can purchase this group ticket at the train station. But based on my lousy experience with the train station employees, I was adamant against talking to them again. So this left Angel and I trying to navigate our way on the tricky Czech Railways website. If you buy in advance, you have to input some form of identification. After payment, they'll send you a 6-digit transaction number (actually letters) and all you need to do is show that number to the conductor when he comes round to your seat. The conductor will also check for an ID match when he checks your ticket, so make sure you bring the same ID as the one you inputted when you bought the tickets online.

The train going to Karlstejn from Praha Hlavni Nadrazi station (the main rail station in Prague) leaves once every hour, at the :20 mark, final destination Beroun. We hopped on the train and had a wonderful view of the scenic countryside for the next 40 minutes. Along the way, we passed this station:

Revnice is the hometown of Martina Navratilova, "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived." Tennis magazine named her the greatest female tennis player, 1965-2005. A tennis historian said she was "arguably, the greatest tennis player of all time."

When we arrive at Karlstejn, yet again, we see that the only way to exit the station is to cross the tracks:

It's a 10 minute walk to the base of Karlstejn. You can't see the castle from the train station, so just follow the flow of tourists. As it's off-season for tourists and as I stopped every once in a while to take pictures, there wasn't a "tourist flow" to follow for some parts of the trail. There are well-displayed signs that will lead you there. You'll know you're going the right direction if you see and cross a bridge. There's only one bridge in Karlstejn.

And once you're at the base of the mountain...

Isn't it gorgeous?

It's perched high atop the village. Seriously, I was ready to die when we finally reached the top of the mountain, all huffing and puffing. Estimates are given online of how long it takes to reach the top, and the general consensus is 30 minutes on foot (no buses allowed). I think we made it in 15-20 minutes.

The gate to the castle proper:

Where you have to climb yet another hill. At least it ain't as bad as the climb up the mountain:

But once you get up to the top, you're well rewarded with a view like this:

I love traveling in autumn because you get to see the trees change color. It makes the castles so much more romantic looking, doesn't it?

The courtyard at Karlstejn Castle

There's stairs leading up to the ramparts, where you can take pictures of the village below:

Or turn the other way and take pictures of the main two towers at Karlstejn:

The castle offers 3 different types of tours. Tour III closes at the end of September, so we missed out. Tour II will take you up the wooden suspension bridge, and you'll get to see the Big Tower with the Chapel of the Holy Cross, an elaborately decorated, well-fortified building with silver and gold painted all over the ceilings to symbolize the sun and stars.

We took Tour I, which is a general overview of the castle and its history, taking us through the Imperial Palace and the Marian Tower. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, engaging and very friendly. The stories she told us of the castle were very funny, and it made the experience very worthwhile. Mom and Dad really enjoyed the tour, which is saying something. The tour guide told us that a lot of the buildings were rebuilt in the 19th century, and there are some rooms where you can see the original 14th century wood paneling side-by-side with 19th century paneling, where they replicated the workmanship (19th century was understandably darker in color).

View from ramparts

Karlstejn was never defeated and conquered in battle...technically. The Big Tower (below) was strategically engineered this way. On one side of the building (the one you can't see, obviously), there's no windows. It's because there's a hill very close to that side of the building, and the defenders didn't want anyone scaling up those walls. There's only one entrance to the tower--a wooden suspension bridge (Tour III) that connects it to the Marian Tower. But in times of attack, they'd burn down the bridge and close up fort. Beneath the bridge is a steep cliff, so burning the bridge makes it impossible to cross over to the Big Tower. The Marian Tower and all the buildings below have been conquered at one point or another (stone cannon balls weighing 80 kg were lobbed at the complex), but because the Big Tower has never been conquered, it is considered that Karlstejn Castle has a whole has never been conquered.

Marian Tower was originally intended for the Empress. But it was forbidden in those times for women to enter the Big Tower because that's where the Holy Chapel is located, and women were considered too dirty and pagan to be allowed in the chapel. Which makes me wonder what happened to the women when Karlstejn was under attack. The king would retreat to safety to the Big Tower. What happened to the women?!

Don't they realize it's women who gave birth to them?! 

Big Tower

The tour's an hour long. Along the way, she (the tour guide) told us of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, the 2nd King of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, whose name this castle is named after (Charles = Karl in Czech). Charles Bridge and Charles University are both named after him, as he founded/ordered construction on these landmarks. Prague became the epicenter of culture, education and religion under his rule. He had 4 wives, 3 of which died relatively quickly. The fourth wife, he originally intended for his son and heir, but she was a beauty and so he decided to marry her himself. She was much younger than him (I think 40 year age difference?). He had gout (ahem "The King's Disease"), as his diet comprised mostly of rich meat. Vegetables were for the lower classes back then. According to legend, his physician had Charles take up sculpting to take his mind off the pain and to relieve joint pressure issues. There's a statue in the tower that is said to be hand-crafted by Charles, as he spent so many hours off his feet and focusing on sculpting, though the tour guide said that this is most likely untrue, as the sculpture looks like it's crafted by a master sculptor, not some amateur.

Charles was highly educated (he received his education in France and could speak 5 different languages). This was almost unheard of for the time, as most knights--and kings for that matter--couldn't read or write. Only priests were expected to have these skills. Indeed, we saw a room in the tower where the knights used to live when they came visiting. 70 knights would stay in this one room together, and they had wooden chests (lockers, if you will) painted with their coat of arms on it. This is because they couldn't read or write, so they only recognized symbols. You see the red eagle coat of arms, you know it's yours, you store your stuff in that locker, that sorta thing. No wonder coat of arms were so elaborate back then.

Charles purposely had his throne room made so that his throne sat in the middle of two large vaulted windows. That way, his face would be cast in the shadows when he's receiving visitors. He could study them--their facial expressions, their body language, and they couldn't really see him because they were blinded by the light coming through the window. Devious man.

In the Imperial Palace, we saw where the king used to sleep. A small bureau is where the washbasin used to go--back then, the king was considered very clean, as he washed himself three times...a month. Most people washed themselves 3-5 times per year, and only the upper body, not lower. Servants were lucky if they were able to wash themselves 3 times in a lifetime.

In the Imperial Palace, there's a tiny, tiny doorway that connects the king's bedchamber to the queen's, which is up a winding staircase. The queen (and women) weren't allowed into the king's rooms (again, because they were considered dirty. Geesh!). Charles IV's second wife, Anne of Bavaria, bucked this rule one night and came down the stairs to visit her husband. She tripped on a step and fell down the stairs, injuring herself. Charles was drunk and didn't notice. His dogs attacked Anne and Charles woke up to find his wife dead. Mangled, I'm sure.

He moved out of the room after that, in fear. Though he didn't mourn much for Anne; he married another woman a week later.

You're not allowed to take photographs of the interior. Boooo. But as we entered a courtyard, the tour guide allowed us to take pictures of the outside. Can you see the wooden box sticking out the side of the building?

Here's a better view:

We wondered what that room was for on our hike up. I thought it was a balcony, as it might have been structurally unsound (and therefore expensive to build) in the medieval ages. The tour guide told us that it's a restroom for the nobility. Imagine, a toilet where, instead of pipes, you get to feel fresh air brush your ass. The waste dumps out...drops 50 feet below...into a garden. Yeah. A garden. The servants back then had to make do with toilets that had no pipes and no fresh air. They placed stones on top of the waste to muffle the putrid stink.

We saw a medieval dining room set-up. Their cups had little ridges on the sides because they used to eat with their hands and it would get slippery--oily hand, glass cups, not a good combination. Their dogs provided most useful, as they'd wipe their hands off on the dogs' furs. Well, that's the interpretation I got from the tour guide's explanation. Angel interpreted the tour guide as saying the dogs would lick off the oil from their hands. :T

We saw the royal bed, made out of elaborately carved wood. The tour guide said that in the early centuries, they used to sleep upright. This was due to the belief that lying down in bed resembled death, so no one wanted to sleep horizontally. 

The tour guide also told us the story of Wenceslaus I, the Duke of Bohemia, and his younger brother, Boleslaus (later known as Boleslav the Cruel. More of that a moment later). Wenceslaus was a kind and benevolent ruler, extremely pious and humble, and very educated and intelligent for his time (they lived in the early 900s). But his brother had much bigger ambitions for Bohemia, and thought Wenceslaus was too much of a pushover to rule properly. So he conspired with three of his buddies to assassinate his older brother. Boleslaus invited his brother to a feast, but after they quarreled, Wenceslaus went to church. They killed Wenceslaus on his way to church. 

Incidentally, Wenceslaus I is the subject of the carol "Good King Wenceslaus." It's the song Hugh Grant sings to the three little girls on Christmas in Love Actually. I never knew "Wenceslaus" was a word (not being remotely religious), so I always thought the carol went "Good king went to Slaw..."

I thought Slaw was a place, kinda how like Sandwich is a place. :T You learn something new every day.

Immediately after Wenceslaus's death, cults sprang up in Bohemia and England in worship of him. He was considered a martyr, posthumously declared King, and elevated to sainthood. 

Holy Emperor Charles IV (lived in the 1300s) worshipped Wenceslaus and during his lifetime, actively cultivated the image of Wenceslaus as a venerated saint. He condemned Boleslaus's actions and cast him into the villain role, so for many generations, Czechs hated Boleslaus. And he became known as Boleslav the Cruel.

Nowadays, however, Czech historians respect Boleslaus. Despite the killing of his own brother. Under Boleslaus's rule, he significantly expanded the territory of Bohemia, uniting many lands together and strengthening their power and prestige. 

Again, what is it with these younger siblings? The oldest was born first, can't you respect that? Why you gotta connive and plot to steal power???

Angel: If you can't cut it, get out of the way (talking about older siblings like Wenceslaus and their general incompetence). 

Jen: But I did get out of the way.

Angel: Yeah, and you should be grateful you can go to the bathroom safely.

Jen: *jaw drops* What an f-ing little brat. Should've smothered her when she was a baby. But being two years old at the time, I didn't know any better.

The King wants a fee for your use of his privy
(Yes, even if you've paid admission, you still have to pony up 10 CZK to use the restroom)

This "bathroom" comment of Angel's is because the tour guide shared an antidote of another royal who lived in Karlstejn. I didn't catch his name, but basically, his brothers hired men to murder him. And the way they did it was particularly brutal: the henchmen climbed up the toilet (remember how it's an open-air toilet?) and thrust a spear up his ass while he was using the loo. Of all the ways to die...*shudder*

Spider found in the forests of Karlstejn

Hiking down...much easier!

While buses aren't allowed up to the castle (therefore the strenuous trek up), there are horse carriages that will take you up there for a fee:

But of course, we didn't bother telling Dad this. ~.^

After Karlstejn, we went to Vysehrad, an ancient fortress built in the 10th century. It has gorgeous views of the Vltava River, as it is situated on top of a hill. It is now a public park and it's free to walk around the vast gardens.

Second gate entrance to Vysehrad

Getting to Vysehrad proved a pain in the buttocks though. It should've been a very easy ride over. You take the Metro C red line there, and it's only 2 metro stops away from our hotel (go toward the direction of Haje, coming back, it's Letnany). The tickets to the metro are valid for buses and trams too, though not together. The full-price fare of a one-way journey is 32 CZK. However, if you're only taking a short metro ride (classified as a ride under 30 minutes), you get a discount and only have to pay 24 CZK per person.

We went to the train station, as the metro is located underneath the rail terminal. However, the automated metro ticket machine only takes coins. COINS. In this day and age?! I knew what was coming...the dreaded talking to those bitchy train employees. So I approach the train ticket booth with a quivering smile on my face (to look friendly, ya know), and ask for change. She very brusquely says "no change." Really?! I went into a shop and they pointed me to the train ticket booth. >.< We wandered all across the train station, looking for a damn change machine. Finally, we locate one on the far back corner of the station, in the locker room. Relieved, we made our way back to the metro ticket machine...only to find 2 spanking new, updated machines located at the other end of where we'd entered. These machines take credit card. Gawd. Seems like I'm doing this a lot this trip. 

Again, once you get off the metro, just follow the crowd. 

St. Martin's Rotunda in Vysehrad, the oldest building in Prague, built in the 11th century

Fortress walls

View of Prague from Vysehrad

Church of Saints Peter and Paul, located in Vysehrad

Behind the church is a cemetery where many famous Czechs are buried. 

View of Vltava River

The main reason I'd wanted to come to Vysehard was to see the original statues from Charles Bridge. They are located in Gorlice Hall. The signs are rather confusing and we walked around the whole. Freaking. Vast. Complex. And still could not find it. We doubled back a few times, but still nothing. Angel was getting ticked off right about then, because a lot of Vysehrad is covered in grass (perfect for a picnic, I think) and she was getting the itchies. Baby wanted to go home. So we exited, and it wasn't until we reached the front gate that we saw the map and realized we had been right in front of Gorlice Hall. But no sign indicated Gorlice Hall was actually Gorlice Hall and so we'd walked right past it!

Dinner was doner durum and Mom had chilled a Czech beer from the night before:

All gone!

Our last night in Prague, we decided to go for a stroll after dinner. The night before, we’d gotten croissants and pastries (those yummy raisin cream rolls) at Marks & Spencer for 50% because they were trying to get rid of the last of the freshly baked goods. Much like Taiwan bakeries.

But we didn’t pay attention to when they start doing the 50% off. It was 6:50pm; we decided to wait til 7pm to see if they would put the signs out. And lo and behold, 7pm on the dot, the signs came up. 50% off!!! Ye-ah!

I promised a picture of the hotel's key the other day. This is how you use it:

Match up the green buttons and turn the knob

Our maid left a thank-you note for the tip we left her: 

Cute!