Karlstejn Castle and Swan Lake 14 May 25

 Hi all 

Yesterday was a quite eclectic day, our 5th day in Prague. firstly, we ventured south about 32 km to the old town of Karlstejn - home of one of Czechia’s oldest and most authentic castles.


It was a pretty impressive sight as we went up the steep 1.9km hill to the castle from the railway station- Ok, confession, a local entrepreneur charges 100 crowns to take you to the top ( $7, and worth every penny).

The castle is true 14th century and was established by King Charles V as a repository for the Holy Roman Empire Crown Jewels. Unlike other castles we have been to, there have been minimal renovations, making this castle a medieval marvel, with many original paintings and decorations still intact.




We had an excellent tour guide who took us through the many rooms and passages in the castle and provided a fair bit of historic background for the nearly 800 year history of the town and castle. The views from inside the courtyard and of the town below from the battlements are great.



We did walk down the hill afterwards, as we had spotted a great little restaurant to restore us on the way down, before catching the train, full of local school kids at finish time, back to Prague.

Leaving no time to rest for these travellers, at 6:30pm we headed to the Prague State Opera for their performance of Swan Lake. Absolutely stunning in all ways, Tchaikovsky’s music with a full pit orchestra, the most beautiful costumes we have seen in a ballet - and the dancers, including the Principle Ballerina of the Czech Ballet - superb! The Principal bloke wasn’t bad either, say the girls. The ensemble was very big, with 24 ballerinas in the chorus alone.


A long but very enjoyable day, all our love from the travellers 🧳🏰🚇🚊❤️



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