Prague: Ascending In Meditation & To Petrin Tower.

I was determined to get to Petrin Tower in Prague. It sits atop a hill, in the same area as the Prague Castle. 

But in order to get to it from Prague Castle, I learned, you have to walk back down the hill you walked up... Then walk up a different set of streets to get to the tower.

There is a trolley car that goes up tracks and can take you to it. But I wanted the workout, and decided to hike up one of the hill's more direct paths to the top.

"Imagine what it's going to do for your bum as well as all the steps you'll collect on your Jawbone UP! Band!" I told myself.

So I began my hike up the hill, unable to even see the tower because of all of the trees and greenery blocking my view...

It was steep. And while you could feel how steep it was on your legs and lungs walking up, it's only when you looked back that you realized how steep it was.

After just a few minutes of walking, I decided to rest. I sat down in a grassy patch off of the path and did my meditation for the day. I was able to focus on colors more clearly in my mind, sitting on that hill. Bees were buzzing around me. I saw a few butterflies dance past when I opened my eyes.

Thirty minutes later, I felt ready to tackle the rest of the path. The angles were really pushing on my quads... So at one point I turned myself around and started to walk up the path backwards! It made it much easier, to be honest. And it worked a different part of my leg. Sure, people looked at me funny... But I didn't care. I wasn't breathing as heavy as they were at this point.

Eventually, I made it to the tower.

Yes, it looks just like the Eiffel Tower. That's intentional. Though it's not nearly as tall as it. I decided to give my legs a rest and not climb the to the top of it. I had already collected a number of beautiful view pictures of the city. I didn't need to see the view.

I did grab myself a little bit of lunch and have a picnic on a bench. After the climb, I was very thirsty and low of energy.

Needless to say, the walk back down was much easier. And much faster.