Saturday May 7, 2011
So I've talked about it and talked about it and now I finally made it to Gyeongbuk Goong (경복궁)! Wil, Kristen and I set out really early on the 7:30am nooriro to make it into Seoul by 9AM. This was Wil's first time in the area so of course we made our usual walk down Gwanghwamun and this time when we made it to the palace doors it was open!!! I realized that Manoffin changes their cakes/muffins!!! Something new every few months. AND the chairs on the nooriro flip around so friends can face each other on the train, I thought that was super neat.
So here I am on Gwanghwamun again and there were still new things to be discovered. Since it's well into spring now the grass is greener, flowers are out and after being here for the 3rd time I realized there is a timeline that goes along the small water stream.
Every hour or so at the palace gates they reenact the changing of the guards ceremony. We had really good timing this time and was able to catch the reenactment right when we got to the door. Whatever bad luck I was having with the palace the last few times totally disappeared today.
Now the Korean traditional architecture is slightly influenced by the Chinese (since many countries surrounding China borrowed several things from them). However, the thing that makes Korea architecture so distinct and their own is the vibrant colours. I LOVE how they use such vibrant colours to decorate their buildings.
Being from North America I am so used to paying ridiculous prices to go to museums or cultural places. Korea still amazes me with their very reasonable prices for sightseeing. Gyeonbuk Goong only costs 3000 won (for adults). We spent a good 2 hours there strolling and relaxing. There is a palace museum and teddy bear museum there as well but we did not get a chance to see that, maybe next time! I would go there again since the entrance fee is really reasonable and it's definitely a fun place to check out with friends.
King's throne room (he has several, this is one of them)m of course golden dragons are on the ceiling.
I love how small the doorways are =) I had no problem fitting through any of them haha. Kristen didn't really have a problem either, but Wil had to duck.
There are also several rooms in the palace that you can enter and to maintain the cleanliness they ask that you take your shoes off. It's actually really neat because it almost feels like that is your own home or that you have personally been invited over to someone's home.
The palace has a very relaxed ambiance.
Earlier I mentioned how much I loved the colours on Korean architecture, but sometimes they just leave the roofs unpainted and it also looks really nice. The way they style their roofs are just so cool. I love that they use round columns.
I wish we were able to walk to this building but the bridge is blocked off, it's pretty =)
As you can see in the beginning the weather was somewhat cloudy but as the day progressed the clouds started to part and were able to enjoy the warm sunshine and clearer skies! This same weekend was also the Lotus Lantern Festival and Buddha's birthday. We decided to eat lunch in Insadong so we can get a glimpse of the Lantern Festival before coming back later.
Kristen discovered this really good kalguksu (hand cut noodle) place and we decided to give it a try. The restaurant was small, very clean and owned by this couple. I really enjoyed it! They only had a few items on the menu, which means they do what they have right. I don't know the name of the restaurant but if you are entering Insadong from Anguk station it's down the first alley on left and it's the last restaurant on the left hand side before reaching a traditional tea place at the very end.
Afterwards Kristen and I went to another Korean traditional tea house to try some more delicious tea! It was getting hot so we tried cold teas this time. I had a Japanese Papaya Tea and Kristen had OhMiCha 오미차 (5 flavours tea). This is a traditional Korean tea that blends in 5 different flavours sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungant...I'm not too sure what that refers too...but the blend tastes really wonderful AND is SO refreshing for the hot weather! I highly recommend you to try it.
Next we met up with Jun, Maiko, Pupae and Wangrui to visit Seodaemun (서대문) Prison History Hall. This place is fascinating and a little bit depressing, of course it being a prison and all. The Koreans were occupied by the Japanese during the war and was forced to be assimilated to Japanese culture. During that time scholars and protesters were imprisoned and tortured in this prison. Many were forced into manual labour as well to help with the Japanese war efforts.
Wil the warden
The prisons were really tiny and some of the rooms were people were isolated were made smaller and more uncomfortable. Plus you had no windows!
Then we went back to the Lotus Lantern Festival. Lanterns are lined all around the area of Jogyesa (조계사). This temple is the end of the parade route that we got a glimpse of near the end of the night. The temple was so pretty lined with rows and rows of lanterns everywhere.
There were also many people walking around with traditional Korean clothes on. Some were performing musicians and some were just regular citizens participating in the days activities.
We were also able to grab lanterns to for free if we wanted.
The coloured lanterns really brightened up the temple and so did other little lanterns that were placed throughout the temple area.
While in Insadong earlier Wil found out there is Indian food available here in Korea so we wanted to try. We went to this place called Little India Cafe. The price of my set meal was decent. It included a samosa, 2 curries, nan and rice, plus a Lassi (yoghurt drink). Their Masala chicken was excellent!!! The restaurant isn't too big, it has 2 floors. On the 2nd floor (where we sat) it's cute because you sit on the floor.
To end the night off we were going to Cheonggyecheon (청계천) to check out the lanterns that are on the water. Last time my friend Natasha was doing an exchange in Seoul and she recommended that I go see this. I've seen pictures and it looks magical so I did not want to miss the opportunity this time around.
On our way to Cheonggyecheon we were fortunate enough to run into the parade so we watched for about 10-15 minutes.
Cheonggyecheon is the man made stream that runs along several district in Seoul. It's a really pretty place to walk along but there was a controversial issue when the mayor decided to build it.
It was a super long day because we left Seoul at 8pm. But it was worth it! Korea has many festivals for people to enjoy and most of them are either free or have a very low fee to participate. Definitely if you decide to come visit see what festivals are running and go and enjoy them!!!
