Another castle, another country

Battling Titans & Overheated Palace Guards

So, we will try to make this not sound like a complaint because we are having a wonderful time.  That said, royal digs of the past are grand but a little monotonous after, say, four or five of them.  Which is to say, there is a lot to be impressed by at Prague Castle, including the beautifully curated Lobcowicz Palace art collection, but those Great Halls and vaulted ceilings do start to look the same after a while.

Here are few interesting facts (the Cliff Notes version, for those of a certain age):

* Prague Castle was founded around 880 AD and through the 10th century was the seat of the head of state, royal family and the bishop of Prague.  In the 14th century, it became an imperial residence as the seat of the Holy Roman Empire.

* Miraculously left largely intact after the two world wars, Prague Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest coherent castle complex in the world.

* Some countries punish religious dissidents by jail or beheading.  In Prague, they prefer "defenestration."  For all of Sophie's friends thinking about the root words they learned last year, "de" means "out of, particularly downward" and "fenestra" is Latin for window.  There are several historical accounts of throwing various politicians, noblemen and the wrong-place-wrong-time clerk out of windows.  Every culture has its quirks.

The Bohemian royals also did their share of torture.  We descended into the Daliborka tower where prisoners were tortured before being imprisoned or put to death.  Grim.  Here are Sophie and Anna (thankfully, not looking so grim) in shackles:

It's so hard to discipline kids these days....