We took a 6AM bus from Prague and arrived at our destination by 9AM before the throngs of tourists arrived mid day.
We made our way up to the extensive castle grounds which were passed through the hands of many royal families over the centuries before it was finally nationalized in the middle of the 20th century.
It seemed that everyone who lived there had to redecorate to put their stamp on the castle. The result is a hodgepodge of Baroque, Gothic, Rococo and Neoclassical styles throughout. So the combination makes for a visual overload of awe inspiring wonderment. As compared to other European castles, this one is rather ho-hum, but the setting is rather
exceptional.
The Bears came on the scene when one of the families added a bear to their family crest so it may appear that they were related to a prominent Italian family who also had a bear on their family crest. Of course, there was no relation between the two families but he chose to further the facade by bringing in multiple bears to live on the castle grounds. Every time one of the bears died, he had a new rug to cover the extensive cold floors throughout the castle which are there to this day. There are still a few bears living on the grounds and it would appear they do not have a shortage of food to eat.
Speaking of eating, we had a lovely breakfast snack at Egon Schiele Cafe, a little off the beaten path which meant good food at good prices. Very cozy sofas and delicious coffee and food.
We also had lunch at the elegant Le Jardin. The service was amazing, food was good and prices were very reasonable.
Here are some of the pics from our day yesterday.
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