Karlštejn

On Saturday, my sister Naty and I made a short hike around the castle Karlštejn, leaving our car at the parking lot below the town and ascending to a hill above the castle from the eastern side. We looped back down to the parking lot by walking towards the river once we reached the castle itself.  

Karlštejn is perhaps the most famous Czech castle outside of Prague thanks to its historical and cultural significance, as well as its characteristic and instantly recognisable exterior – the result of a serendipitously misguided attempt to revert the castle back to its gothic form in the spirit of late nineteenth century purism. It was built in the fourteenth century by Charles IV, the most illustrious ruler of the Czech lands, and one of the few Holy Roman Emperors to spend a significant portion of his life in Bohemia. For several years, it housed the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire.        

A pretty garden on my third walk of the week
The town of Karlštejn
More autumn paths
Karlštejn
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
A little church in the town of Karlštejn

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ireland: Day 8 – County Louth

Image
My plans for my last day in Ireland came together in a very ad hoc fashion. Having seen everything I wanted to see, I searched for interesting sights close to the highway between Dublin and Belfast. These did not include – though I found it the most interesting sight of all – the modest highway sign saying “Welcome to Northern Ireland” painted over with several streaks of dark red paint.
Read more

Southern Delhi and Other Bits and Pieces

Image
On my last day in Delhi, I managed to cross off the last few items on my sightseeing list. I began by packing my luggage, all the while congratulating myself on having remembered to ask the hotel to do my laundry in advance. That finished, I ordered an Uber to Akshardham, a massive Hindu temple east of the Yamuna River. The opening hours of the temple are not well advertised, and when I arrived by the front gate, I learned it was still closed. For a few minutes, I took pictures of the temple from afar, when suddenly an autorickshaw driver approached me. He reasoned with me that since the temple would not open until ten, I had better come with him and see other sights. I had to admit the soundness of his reasoning and gave him my next address.
Read more

Vietnam North to South – Day 1: Alone in Hanoi

Image
My redeye from Delhi arrived close to five in the morning, and I did not catch a jot of sleep. Once I got to my hotel, however, I did not feel particularly drowsy, and instead of napping for a few hours, I started sorting through my photos from India. This exercise lasted for as long as it stayed cloudy outside – that is to say – until around eleven, when I grew bored of the very mechanical editing process and decided to go out.
Read more