Greg has been reminding me that most people don't come to the Czech Republic to look at beetles and wildflowers, but instead want to see baroque buildings, art nouveau embellishments, and other architectural treasures (and, of course, to drink the beer). So I've decided to talk about some buildings that interest me.
Last weekend we took a short train trip to Karlstejn, which is best known for its castle. We enjoy the small tourist-friendly town at the base of the hill, and we usually have tea before walking up to the castle. The original structure was built by Charles IV as a country retreat, but the building you see in this picture is largely a 19th century reconstruction. For me the castle is mostly an excuse to take a train trip to an area of natural beauty:
After we drank our tea, we walked up the hill through a wooded area that's part of the Cesky kras protected landscape. I took a few pictures of small creatures I saw there, like this snail:
And this damselfly:
When we reached the top of the hill, we spent a while looking down from the castle's fortified walls at the rolling green landscape below before turning around and walking back down to catch the train:
Also this past week we took a walk in Novy Svet (New World), which is a street of small cottages that used to be the homes of the people who worked at Prague castle. The area is very close to the castle but does seem in many ways like a different world:
For me the most interesting thing about this area of narrow tree-shaded lanes is its wealth of intriguing details. I like this door knocker:
And this planter on the balcony at the surrealist gallery:
These unusual decorations:
And this statue of a saint or king:
I love all of your detail shots, especially the head planter!
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