Chilly dawn, delightful morn, totally worn......out.

A brilliant start to the day - up at 5.30am for a walk across the famous Charles Bridge, with only the eerie fog and the 29 statues adorning either side of the length of the bridge for company. Since 1657 the statues, including Christ on the cross, St Wenceslas and St Augustine have adorned the bridge. Many have been replaced as their original sandstone succumbed to the relentless cold and wet, however they create a wonderful avenue for the stroll across the Vltara River. Not content with that, we decided to savour the solitude of this early hour and revisited the Old Town Square and then ventured further to St Wenceslas Square. In all, about seven kilomeres of walking before breakfast!
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Then a walk back across the Charles Bridge and the tram to Prague castle - the largest ancient castle complex in the world, covering a total area of more than seven football fields. Although there are many interesting sights to see - the old palace, the Basilica of St George, the powder tower, Vladislav Hall and two magnificent art galleries, the standout feature is St Vitus Cathedral. St Vitus was quite a notable; he is entombed in his cathedral and as well as being the patron saint of Bohemia, he is a patron of actors, entertainers and dancers, and is said to protect against lightning, dog bites and oversleeping - a very handy saint to have around when you're on the move. The cathedral also contains much evidence of the region's silver, a local commodity that has supported the economy and attracted trade for many centuries.
We had decided to forgo a walk through the Royal Gardens, however when we attempted to purchase tram tickets from the machine outside the castle we found it to be out of order so, rather than risk being pinged for fare evasion, we set out on the long walk back home through the gardens, through the streets below and finally back over the Charles Bridge - overall, another 7 or 8 kilometres of walking. Back home for a very late lunch, then a relaxing late afternoon, dinner and soon we'll be off to bed (it's 10pm as we write this). Tomorrow - on the train out of town to Kutna Hora to see the ossary and other sights.