Prague Castle

Today we went to the Prague Castle which is at the top of the hill and over looks all of Prague. It is a huge complex, but only a small portion is open for touring because the rest is used for federal offices. There is no "governing" royal family. Ancestors are recognized as relations, they are not "royal" or recognized as special by the state. We saw the window where the defenestrations of Prague occurred that started the 30 Years War which was cool. The palace is not as ornate as other ones of western Europe, however the wing we toured was built in the 1300s and most of the palaces that I have seen were built in the 1700s & 1800s so that may have been the cause for the difference.
The church is called St. Vitus cathedral that is on the castle grounds, and it took over 500 years to finish. It is a gothic church and construction started on it in 1344. Christianity was very popular in Prague when the missionaries came in the 700s, however 83% of Prague's citizens are atheist today. St. Vitus Cathedral is the first photograph in my first blog post.
There was also an exhibit with weapons of torture, non weapons of torture and armor which was interesting, and we got to go see a dungeon. I did not like the dungeon. I am so happy I did not live during the medieval times. That would have sucked big time. If you see the armor from the movie Monty Python that's what a lot of it looks like.
We passed by Johannes Kepler's house, the creator of Kepler's laws. He came up with the first two laws while living there. 
The subways in Prague rely on an honor system and your tickets are checked at random. Today on our way back the officers targeted us when they heard us speak, but we all had our tickets. They also have a very small badge. It looks like a small decorative pin.

Stain glass over the rear entrance

Inside St. Vitus Cathedral

Organ inside St. Vitus cathedral

Grand Hall where jousting used to occur in the Prague Castle

View of Prague from top of the hill

The people photographed above were hanging out in a small square. It's supposed to be levitation but I think it's fishy. They were hanging out there for a while.
I bought a ticket to see the Czech's national ballet perform Swan Lake on June 9th. Something to look forward to :).