Praha part II - A hidden paradise

After an early morning wake up and a delicious breakfast at Paul, we continued on our way to the Prague castle. Being there well ahead of the regular tourists, we secured our place in front of the information office to make sure we'd get our hands on the entrance tickets before the place would get really crowded. 
Needless to say, we certainly weren't the only ones doing so, but still, the chosen strategy enabled us to walk around the castle complex without any major fights for position.
St. Vitus cathedral - beautiful as always, with a little extra magic due to the foggy environment.

Turns out fog had another bonus this morning - reducing the contrast of light and dark, it made it possible for me to get closer to my ideal picture of the St. George fountain.

Misty view towards the church of St. Nicholas, with the blurred city silhouettes in the background.

Basilica of St. George - even though I've already seen it all, we'd still do the regular castle tour...

... walking down the Golden Lane...

... and on to the entrance of the castle gardens, where my sneak-peek of Prague was photobombed by a spider...

... until we could finally enter the green areas at 10 am. 

Another sneak-peek towards inaccessible terraces...

... until we decided to return to the city, wandering through almost empty streets trying to find what turned out to be the most delicious place for lunch - highly recommended, but make sure to make a reservation beforehand as the math of supply and demand of free tables might not be in your favour. 
(Also, you can imagine my surprise when a couple of months later, the Honest Prague Guide featured the exact same way as their "alternative route to the castle")

Church of St. Nicholas again. Turns out I still haven't managed to take the time and visit it, but it certainly s on the list for my next visit to Prague. Because I'll always need something left for my "next visit" that will serve as an excuse for me to come again :)

Fed by an amazing lunch, we could now explore the cit again, this time trying to find the entrance to a set of gardens that should be hidden in the vicinity of the castle. 

Not to be confused with the Wallenstein gardens that are located next to the palace of the same name, the area I had in mind is located on the same street as well. However, it stretches in opposite direction until the very base of the Prague castle walls, and even though a couple of tourists happen to find the rather hidden entrance, every single one of them turned around after taking some pictures of what seems to be some kind of courtyard. 

If only they knew that literally a couple of meters further on, for the prize of only 3€, a whole secret paradise opens up to those who dare to explore. Its name? Simply, the Gardens below Prague Castle (Zahrady pod Pražským hradem).

The complex of gardens that are connected with numerous stairways and paths offers amazing views of the city underneath while fading out the craze of the city center in a way that would make it possible to spend all day there studying, reading, or simply daydreaming. (Because, yes, studying is the first thing that comes to a med student's mind. Oh well...)
Upon entering the area through the Kolowrat garden (Kolovratská zahrada), we proceeded to the Small Fürstenberg garden (Malá Fürstenberská zahrada), in order to reach the cute lookout tower at its highest point. 

Needless to say, there are a couple of stairs to climb as the gardens are terraced, but there are more than plenty opportunities to stop and admire the greenery that lines the way, and the view that opens up from the top is worth every step.

And while my sister actually got stuck on one of the benches, lost in her book, I decided to walk around some more - through to the Kolowrat garden I reached the Greater and Lesser Palffy garden (Velká Pálffyovská zahrada, Malá Pálffyovská zahrada)...

... which then continue into the Ledeburg garden (Ledeburská zahrada) and the adjacent palace.

And even though the entire area is located just a stone's throw away from the Prague castle, I bumped into a handful of tourists only during my whole expedition. Literally, a handful. (Certainly not something I'd mind, still, more impressions of the hidden paradise, alongside with a detailed description of each garden, can be found here.)

On my way back to pick up my sister, I found myself on a different terrace layer than before - new layer, new discoveries! A lovely little fountain at the bottom of the Greater Palffy garden...

... a quick view towards the entrance/exit staircase...

... and another set of terrace layers full of wonderful, not ripe yet, fruits. Maybe I should visit sometime later in the year next time?

Finally, however, after an amazing too-good-to-be-true experience, it was time to hit the busy roads again. Off to the Charles bridge...

... with another delicious discovery on the way...

... and another museum I'll have to visit "next time".

And while the castle hill was slowly being covered by the night skies...

... on the other side of the river, the city - as well as king Charles - were still pretty much awake.

~ to be continued ~