Hrad Karlštejn

At the end of March, one of my best friends from home, Shradha, came to visit me for a week. We had various adventures around the Czech Republic, but most notable was our visit to Karlštejn Castle with Twee, which is located roughly one hour outside of Prague.

Now, if I'm being honest, Twee and I don't have the best track record in terms of catching public transportation on time. We usually barely make a train or bus, or just make them. In this case, we literally had to run through the train station in Prague to catch the train on time, and astonishingly, we made it! :)

When we arrived at Karlštejn, it was unfortunately cold and rainy. We decided to walk across the street and have lunch. It was about that time anyway, and we figured we could warm ourselves up a bit before trekking to the castle. It was a cute little place.

We ordered some delicious garlic soup with cheese and ham pieces, which is a typical Czech dish.

Me & Shradha

We then started the walk towards the castle, which was significantly longer and more uphill than any of us had anticipated. It took us nearly 40 minutes. Karlštejn seemed like a ghost town due to the weather and the fact that it was early in the tourist season, but it was honestly better for us because we got to enjoy everything at our own speed and without a crowd.

There were tons of cute little cafes and shops along the route. We stopped and window shopped at a few. Shradha bought some really nice water color paintings at one place.

The view of Karlštejn from a distance was gorgeous.

Me & Twee

Shradha & Twee

After walking through town, we finally started the steep ascend toward the castle.

We were stunned by the intricate designs of the architecture found in the courtyard.

Me

Me & Shradha

Shradha & Twee

We weren't supposed to take pictures inside, but Twee sneaked a few for us! This castle was built by King Charles IV in the 1300s. It was mainly used to house the crown jewels. Here are some portraits of famous Bohemian royals.

The most intriguing aspect of this castle was the difference in warmth between a room with and without wood paneling. A room that had wood paneling as decoration for all the walls and ceiling was at least ten degrees warmer. It felt so cozy when we entered these rooms, especially since we visited the castle on a cold, rainy day!

We then made our way to the attic, where there was a model of Karlštejn castle in its current Neo-Renaissance style. Though smaller than many other castles in the area, it was quite beautiful. Also in the attic, and only open during the month of March, was a portrait gallery by a current photographer. It was cool to walk around and see the exposed ceiling beams for the castle as well.

After our tour, we took some scenic shots from the castle.

View from the Castle

Fortified Walls

Twee & Her New Friend

Woven Baskets

Shradha on a Bridge

Shradha

Me & Twee

Me

Despite the weather, we had a lovely time. The tour was great, but what made this day exceptional was definitely the scenic walk up to the castle. Of course we complained the entire time we were trekking up the hill, but it was an adventure and I had great company with me. We talked and shared stories the entire time!