In central Prague, the west side of the Vltava River is dominated by a ridge that parallels the river. Today’s plan is to find the funicular that rises to the top of the ridge into Petrin Park, and to walk back down from the east gate of Prague Castle.

We got day passes for the tram and took it from Vera’s place to the east end of one of the bridges, only to find out the tram that crosses the bridge was not running due to construction on the other side. But walking across the bridge gave us a better look at the old system of locks that remain in place to allow boats to smoothly navigate the river.

We also noticed some workers freshly paving some sidewalks. Prague has a habit of paving prominent sidewalks with stones of differing colors arranged into decorative patterns. It’s a labor-intensive process that gives a certain type of local craftspeople a chance to show off their work.

After riding the funicular to the top of the ridge, we found ourselves next to Petrin Tower. A couple of years after the Eiffel Tower was built, the Czechs built this smaller imitation, but the only way to the top is a long spiral staircase. We’re saving our energy for the miles of walking ahead of us.

We followed a long wall called the Hunger Wall, which was commissioned by King Karlov to give people employment during a period of famine and poverty. Eventually we found a small coffee shop at the end of the park.

The coffee break was our transition between walking in nature, and walking through the architectural eye candy of the Castle District. First we came upon the entrance to a large and magnificent monastery. Then there was a place called Loreta that was adorned with striking sculptures.

We should note that we don’t pretend to be experts in art or architecture, or of the history of construction design. But that doesn’t stop us from admiring what strikes us as creative, innovative or beautiful.

As we made our way eastward toward the western entrance of Prazky Hrad, we passed buildings that mere words cannot describe. It seemed like every building was a work of art, and every surface had art all over it, from sculptures to glass tile mosaics to brilliantly painted frescoes. Our cameras were clicking like machine gun fire.

We eventually walked through the western entrance to Prague Castle. The castle is actually a sprawling complex about 600m long and 200m wide, with the outer walls being 4-5 stories high. All of the buildings are still in use. And the walls are much more than walls… they’re office blocks in their own right.

The most dominant feature of the castle (and a prominent landmark of the Prague skyline) is St. Vitus Cathedral. This massive church sits within the the western end of the castle walls, and dates back to the 13th century. It’s been remodeled and extended several times over the centuries, most recently in the late 19th century.

After taking some pictures from the outside, we ventured in for a look at the interior. It was here that Obbie had an experience that encapsulates our time in Prague. As he walked into the cathedral far enough to comprehend the complete grandeur of the place, all he could do was look up and breathe, “wow!…” To his left, he saw a young Japanese man, also looking up and breathing, “wow!…” Prague is a city full of “wow’s.”

At four o’clock many of the cathedral’s interior lights got turned off, which we took as our cue to go back outside. We walked through the rest of the castle, passing rectories, convents, and ancient basilica, and a toy museum (they had a Barbie doll exhibit … we skipped that one).

We approached the castle’s east entrance as the next shift of castle guards came marching past us. We followed them to the entrance, humming the “March of the Winkies” from “The Wizard of Oz” as we went.

We had hoped to get a good look at Staremestke Namesti (Old Town Square) before dark, but there was too much to look at along the way.

When we got to the square, we were handed flyers advertising a concert beginning at 5. We went into St. Nicolas Church, where a concert was starting at 5. It turned out not to be the same concert advertised on the flyer, but that was ok.

Every church and theatre around the square seems to have some sort of performance every night, and the square is ringed with people carrying signs to advertise these shows.

This system gives the performers a chance to play for an audience, it gives the venues and performers a way to make a little income, and it’s the only way for visitors to see the interiors of many of these magnificent places.

We sat through a one-hour program of classical harp and flute music while we gawked at the beautiful interior of St Nick’s. We weren’t disappointed.