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Sunday, May 18, outside it's raining ... and we spend all day in the rain. We take the tram towards Peace Square (Square of Peace) and Kostel Sv. Ludmily (Church of St. Ludmila). Place of Peace has a small garden shaped peace symbol (hence its name) and the Church of St. Ludmila, a neo-Gothic church of the nineteenth century. To shelter us from the rain, we are going into the church and, being Sunday, we will have Mass in Czech! (Well, half-Czech, half Latin.)

After this interlude of religious life in Prague, we will wait for the tram and a beggar comes straight to us and asked us for money. At that time, a beggar rushes to shout this competition, so it leaves the area of ​​begging, they are even on the verge to jump on! The tram arrived, and we go up the beggar following us but does not move from his seat once the tram. For us, leadership Vyšehrad.
We have some walking to do before reaching Vyšehrad, the tram stop is located at the bottom of the hill. On this famous hill about 200m high so is the castle and the cemetery Vysehrad (Vyšehrad Hrbitov). But before all that, a small picture of the Vltava from the tram stop:

And here are the steps that will take us to the west gate of the fortress. During the climb, we passed a shy squirrel passing us and we will return to.

Since it is past noon, we decided to stop in the rise on a small plaza sheltered from the rain under a tree. And while we eat our usual bread / Laughing Cow ... with some chocolate for dessert. We enjoy the view while a blue diesel train passes over the metal bridge at the bottom.

A plaque in memory of Dr. Jana Krejčího (1825 - 1887), Czech geologist, is located next to the west entrance gate.

Before entering the castle, one last look at the view in the background with the yellow and black church Svatý Apolinar (Saint Apollinaire) from the ramparts.


Today, the main tour is fitting with the weather: the cemetery (in the rain ...)! Admission is decked out with a panel of various prohibitions (including one that prohibits a drink with the dead or digging graves (sorry treasure hunters)).
The entrance gate is decorated with beautiful engravings of skull and the arms of a basilica (key 2 golden cross).
The cemetery is the Vysehrad Prague equivalent of Père Lachaise in Paris. It was commissioned in 1869 and currently host over 600 graves of Czechs (scientists, writers, painters, composers, etc ...).

The cemetery contains, among other famous people, music composer Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904):

Some tombs are sober, other high color (with St. Moutmoute or an angel) and original graves (two hands coming out of the stele, a dragon (it must be the Dovahkin!)) And some frescoes painted or mosaic. Some tombs are still decorated with Easter eggs, many flowers. There is even a grave of a Czech soldier (Ivan Španiel) engaged in the French army during World War II (launched in 1939 in the artillery regiment Poitier. He fled to Spain in 1940 and joined General Leclerc to fight in North Africa. Attached to the 2nd Armored (Armoured Division) in 1944, he landed in Normandy and made ​​parties detachment liberate Paris with resistant. on 23 November 1944 he participated in the liberation of Strasbourg and dies because shrapnel from a grenade seven days later in the city of Krafft. He received the Military Cross, the Croix de Guerre with palm and made ​​a Knight of the Legion of Honor. During 2000 the Czech defense minister does conolen 'in memoriam'. ').


It is the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul (Bazilika sv Petra Pavla), which is made ​​a minor basilica, which overlooks the cemetery. Built in the second half of the eleventh century by the Duke Vratislav II to compete with the Prague Castle.

Always in the rain (we are starting to get fed up ...) we leave the cemetery and go around the wall. We overlook the Vltava and the road that brought us tram. The view from here is truly beautiful, even in the rain. It reminds me of the view (and less high and less impressive) from the top of the tower Petrín.



During our walk around the city walls, the rain stops (and I should say that the path is a victim of violent acne ...)

Continuing our walk, we decided that after we go do some shopping and go to the bedroom. Meanwhile, we pass the benches rain-soaked grass and terraces.

We leave the Leopold Gate where, after a little market down the road, a little old lady takes care of her flowers.

To lower Vysehrad, we do not take the stairs, but we wind on small paths through the park with tunnels Is a bit shabby ...

... and always in the company of our friends the squirrels (they really do not fear people, I did what I could to get close to take pictures, I was able to be ! within 3m But since they are very playful, I could do only one photo so they are quick to turn me around!):

We take the tram, and while we decided to test the pool... we were only the two of Amandine and me... normal, the water is not heated and the indoor pool in the basement of our hostel youth... I personally do 3-4 lengths before going out and rush into the electric sauna (dry sauna). Sets up, I let her down as she wanted to stay oudtdoor and gets into the room ...


* Meanwhile, the side of Amandine *

Amandine has profited me to be reassembled to make a special recovery mission, because the next day is my birthday! So, to make me happy and give me a present, she did like the movies infiltration, hugging the walls and observing everywhere she went to the grocery store to buy a chocolate cake.
When she returned to the room, being on the pc, she simply ''advised'' me to go to the shower. She then taken advantage whether I'm in the shower to hide the cake and to surprise me the next day.


* End of special parenthesis Solid Snake *

After resting a while, we decide to try the bar-restaurant-nightclub in the hostel to try. We simply take a cocktail and we eat in the room. For my part, it will be a Blue Lagoon. And a small tribute to Marianne in passing.

The day ends quietly watching a movie and sausage-cheese-tomato spaghetti fajitas. The rain stopped in the late afternoon and did not return the rest of the story, phew! At last! And no wind either, which is always a good thing. Tomorrow we'll have a pretty relaxed day, especially at night!

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