Why do castles have to be at the top of hills?

Today we actually left the limits of Prague and ventured out to Karlstejn. In a very European cosmopolitan manner, we picked up some danishes from the local bakery, and jumped on the tram, caught two metro lines and made it to the main station (don't ask me to spell it) in about 25 minutes.

Just to prove we did make it up the hill

Our train, the City Elephant (heheh), was somewhat delayed (we think it needed rebooting) but eventually departed from the huge, rundown, communist-era station and out past a whole lot of decrepit 'no one lives here anymore' stations. Once you are a couple of stations from Prague, platforms are really non existent and you jump on the train straight from the gravel verge...it's very bizarre.

Karlstejn is about 45 mins west of Prague and is a little hamlet totally dominated by this amazing gothic castle that simply looms on the ridge. The town is nestled in the valley, about a five minute walk from the station, and as you crane your neck looking at the castle, the thought occurs to you...'How the hell am I going to get up there?'.

There's a castle behind you...

A slow, steady stream of tourists shows the way, however. Personally, I found it amazing that everyone who was at the castle had somehow made it up there...the concept of secure handrails and gentle slopes for prams and wheelchairs does not seem to have caught on here. We (ok, I) resisted the temptation to flag down one of the horse and carriage combinations that were hauling past us (others were in greater need than ourselves), but we did have to break our journey twice before finally making the gates.

Anyway, beyond the overwhelming tourist tat that lined the streets of Karlstejn, the castle itself is quite spectacular. Gorgeous views from every turret, and inside there is a wealth of treasures from the 13th century onwards. The English tour had some idiosyncratic grammar, and was apparently much condensed from the Czech version Andrew had heard two years ago, but was still quite absorbing. Lots of religious memorabilia, crucifixes and saint busts everywhere and a replica of a crown that reputedly contained two thorns from Jesus' crucifixion crown. The Czechs were big into their legends...the cabinet in the final room also contained a 'dragon's' head (which was actual that of a crocodile).