About an hour south of Prague is a beautiful castle called Karlstejn. It was founded in 1348 by King of Bohemia Charles IV. It is one of the most famous castles in the Czech Republic due to its picturesque nature and the fact that it's held many Bohemian crown jewels, holy relics, and other royal treasures.
Bryan and I first visited the castle in the summer (July 2019). We did not get to inside because we got there on a Monday - a day when most castles are closed - a small detail I forgot about, not having in lived in Czech for many years. But we walked around the surrounding area, soaking up the sunshine amidst the fields of green with a lovely view of the castle from the distance.
Afterwards, we took a short trip to a limestone quarry called Little America. We walked around and admired the views before heading back to Prague.
We then went back to visit Karlstejn in the winter when my mom and Deja were with us. There was a small Christmas market and a parade going on down under the castle.
After visiting the castle grounds, we had a delicious Czech lunch. We then walked around the street, taking in the sights, smells, and tastes (yup gotta taste that honey liquor :-)) and topping it off with a dance to some traditional Czech Christmas songs.
The Karlstejn castle is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in Prague. It's only about a 45 minute drive from the city and you will feel as if you have gone back in time hundreds of years into a beautiful traditional fairy tale.