In-Spired.

Tired of the stairs, he turned to stone.

Prague, Czechia – The Castle Stairs absorb your breath and your sweat, but reward you with incredible views of the city. 

There are 220 of them, and they're steep – especially when it's a sunny 32 degrees.

I take them two-by-two and arrive at the base of Prague Castle in a few minutes.

A blanket of orange clay roofs unfolds below, pierced only by the city's countless belfries and church spires. Prague's historic centre remains a city of preserved low-rise buildings uninterrupted by the towering shards of glass found elsewhere.

I've arrived at the world's largest ancient castle in time for the ceremonial changing of the guard. The pomp and circumstance skips a beat as a soldier trips on the cobblestones before catching himself on a colleague's shoulder.

I worry about the bayonets.

St. Vitus.

Construction of the castle began in the year 870 and the oldest remaining building is the Basilica of St. George, built a mere 50 years later. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is a history book of curved streets, churches and towers pulled from generations of architects' drafting tables.

I get lost in the cultural monument and marvel at the Gothic architecture of St. Vitus Cathedral, which looms over the city with blackened tips, like saplings caught in a fire. It, too, was founded before calendar years hit four digits.

Dancing in and out of shadows.

Retracing memories from university classes, I look for the window that unsuspectingly became a central actor in the 1618 Defenestration of Prague. As my favourite word in the English language, it seems appropriate. Without WiFi or a good map, I have likely unknowingly walked past it several times. 

At least I didn't get thrown out.

People often say places of worship are built at a city's highest point so they can have a daunting prominence. Or so parishioners can be closer to god.

Having hiked all this steep cobblestone, I'm thinking it may also be a form of penance to remind us of our own mortality.

I can feel each step in a very human way.