Ignoring the aching protest of our legs, we set out on a beautiful Easter morning to explore the Castle District. Prague Castle, built and renovated during 13 distinct centuries, has been an important cultural and administrative site since the earliest days of the city and is now the official home of the President of the Czech Republic. Deciding to keep our self-guided tour cheap and relatively solitary (visitors were out in droves on the holiday), we mostly enjoyed wandering around the free areas of the complex and the surrounding parks and streets. As pictured above (the quaint Míšeňská St), this part of town is very photogenic and reminiscent of times past.
Later that evening we decided to get some culture at the New Stage (Nová Scéna) of the beloved National Theatre - a treasure of Czech cultural institutions in the ensembles of ballet, opera, and drama. We saw a historical piece of theatre called Wonderful Circus, originally performed in 1977 by Laterna Magika which is an independent and unconventional multimedia theater company of the National Theatre. When it first premiered, the show was quite an innovative act; employing panoramic projected video recordings that actors would interact with to advance the storyline. We enjoyed the evening in the modern style 80's theater and were stunned by the building's staircase as we left the show. Once again an example of the endless architectural gems hidden deep within this city that aren’t mentioned in any guidebook.