The other thing about staying for a couple of nights and planning a full day in the middle is that I had somewhere to come back to and relax for half an hour or so in the middle of the day, which was a nice break (from the walking and the crowds).
I woke to a cold -1 deg C morning, but it soon warmed up to a nice temperature; here are some early (relatively-speaking) morning shots:
From there, back through the town square and across the river is the synagogue, built in about 1910, and no longer functioning as a synagogue, it has been converted into a museum of Jewish life in the city and region, with an explanation of the pogroms that have dis-possessed the Jews of their property and rights over the ages. They also have a photographic exhibition (but no English on this), which I think was about 4 photographers, 2 cultures, and 1 region. In the entry area are a couple of USA Army insignia, painted there when this was used by them as a chapel immediately after WWII (they only stayed for about 6 months). Again, only a 30-minute visit, but well worth the short trip out of the old town.
Back through town and it was off to the castle - trying to avoid the crowds by getting there before most of the buses arrived (I beat some, but not all) - this is the view of the castle from the bridge from the old town (the castle complex starts at the tower, and extends past the left of this shot - it is the second largest castle complex in the Czech Republic, after Prague Castle:
In 1989 the castle became a National Monument, and nobody will be surprised to learn that in 1992 the entire complex was included onto the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monuments.
While the grounds of the castle were open, the castle itself is shut to visitors until 1st April - next Tuesday, so unfortunately I missed out on getting the full visit experience. However, the wonderful gardens were open, and from various spots there are good views over the old town.
I also took some time-out and just sat in the town square watching the local (and tourist) world go by. Heading through the town area I took a few more shots, just for good measure:
Unquestionably the 360 degree views from here are the best in town (and panoramic, of course):