Although the castle was closed for the holiday, St. Vitus Cathedral was open! According to historians, the martyr St. Wenceslaus is buried here. As well as the Duke of Bohemia, and Charles IV. Apparently is a popular pilgrimmage site. Click the link to the tourism site above if you want to see the professional tourism photos and hear about this place from someone who knows more about art and architecture. For the adventure photos, continue on!
On Christmas Eve, it was packed. Shoulder to shoulder packed. Photos of this trip aren’t great, but the place was spectacular. I think it is in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, inlcuded as a part of the Old Town of Prague.
Most of the really beautiful things to see are much much taller than the people in the foreground. The lighting of the church was so warm and soft. The stained glass was incredible.
One of the most incredible things to note in the Czech Republic is the use of precious metals. They have a LOT of gold and silver in the cathedrals.
The Czech Republic had a silver mine in Kutna Hora and was quite wealthy with mining production. There are entire life-sized sculptures here made of silver.
The gothic architecture here is incredible. The arches are so high. There is a lot of fine detail in the painting and the structure. Different states of restoration leave the cathedral in very contrasting colors.
I never retouch photos because I think it is important to share the real experience. There is nothing more disappointing than spending years saving for a trip after seeing the magazine photos, and then it’s… well covered in other people that saw the same photo. Not that my other photos are always perfectly level, but there were no opportunities to pause for alignment in here. Some people were physically bumping and pushing in a way that would be considered incredibly rude in my home country. I dont know about theirs, so I don’t judge, but be prepared. If you are from a country with a lot of personal space boundaries and you are headed to St. Vitus during Christmas, you will probably encounter people with different cultural definitions of polite behavior.
The presence of people or crowds are not indicative of a bad experience. I just think we are exposed to a lot of advertising, people selling dreams, and we dont get the full reality before investing. Expereiences and places can be magical, and crowded. And for me, I feel a lot better knowing what the experience will really be like so I don’t waste time on something I might find stressful. I loved this place, I am glad I went. These were the dates I had available, and this is what it looked like.
PigTailz 