The Penny Drops

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had set out on that ordeal of a walk in search of a castle. Implicit in that post is the fact that I didn't find one--which seems pretty strange since the castle is one of the major features of this town. Yesterday I got serious about getting a handle on this town and realized that the wall I saw was the outer castle wall that circles most of the downtown, but is not actually around the castle proper. So this morning I had about 90 minutes before the conference started and I was determined to see the damn castle. I worked my way through the amazing web of downtown streets and, when I saw this, knew I was on to something.
And so the stairs begin. I brought the right shoes with me for this trip--heavy walking shoes with really thick soles--there is no way tennis shoes or, shudder, sandals would manage these streets and hills. Still, my feet are tired and this was daunting. Did I mention that my legs are STILL sore from climbing that hill (which I now know is called Petrin)? This isn't going to make things better.
Aside: Check out that wooden window shutter. I mean, really look at it--it's frickin' HUGE! That door, which, next to that shutter, looks like it is for children is about 12 feet tall. The shutter is even bigger--and there is a second one for the right half of the window. Can you imagine getting a good pair of 15 foot wide solid wooden shutters now?