last day in PRAGUE ..big finish!

Can't believe that we only have one more adventurous day!   We ate a healthy breakfast and had plans to hike all the way up to the castle complex!   Winded our way through cobblestone alleys heading West to find the Charles Bridge.
Here it is :

The Old Bridge Tower was built in the late 14th century.  The bridge itself started its construction in 1357.  This stone bridge is 1700 feet long and was the only link across the Vltava River between Prague Castle and Old Town until 1741.   Here's a few more pics :

looking at the West end tower and entrance

so much for the easy part of the hike!  .. now we start going .. up, up, up

another St.Nicholas Church

an interesting building

neat pub we passed as we crawled up the hill

a look back down the hill during a 'breather' break .. whew!

yahoooo .. we made it to the TOP, the castle complex

We first went into St.Vitus Cathedral  .. construction began in 1344 ,, stained-glass windows - EVERYWHERE !

and, of course, everything else about this building is breathtaking...

We bought the Class B ticket which allowed us to enter .. St.Vitus Cathedral, the Basilica of St.George, the Old Royal Palace, and the 'Golden Lane' - which was a street of houses for the defenders of the castle, servants, goldsmiths, and craftsmen.

looking down before we started hiking back to our hotel

stopped at a gingerbread bakery for some goodies

a few MORE people on the bridge as we headed back across

Arrived back to the room and started to pack and get ready for the long flight home on Wednesday ..and.. to get a little rest before the concert at St.Nicholas.
Got a bite to eat in the rapidly filling Old Town Square and watched another kids group singing.   Here's a few pics :

time to say good-bye to the astronomical clock and the square..

We walked around the square before queuing up for the concert.   Here's the poster description :

It was a great concert.   Organ music was thunderstruck!, brass was pure and loud, just excellent overall.   We've enjoyed some very special music at concerts in Vienna and Prague!   Especially suitable for this Christmas season.

What a special trip!   A big Thank You to Jan for inviting me.   A Danube river cruise during Christmas Markets season was very neat.    Touring some of the very grand (old & new) capitals of Europe in Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague was sensational.   What extensive history!   Also touring some neat medieval towns like Durnstein, Passau, and Regensburg was very interesting.

Eating the local foods of Hungary, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic was .. yummy, yummy, and YUMMY !

My first river cruise was a very neat experience.   Want to do more.    The rivers of Europe were some of the original highways.    Lots of history and still-standing buildings to appreciate.    Castles, ruins, fortresses, and cathedrals!!

I hope you enjoyed viewing my blog posts.   I hope I gave you a good sense of our travels and sights and experiences.   It was fun composing them every night.   Thank goodness for the excellent quality of smartphone cameras!

Take care.   I hope to regale you with in-person stories and recollections.
Joe