Seoul - Day 3

While we awoke several times throughout the morning, we didn't actually get out of bed until sometime around 7:30am.  After a cup of Starbucks (we brought our own bag!), a croissant, some scrambled eggs, fruit, and another shower, we started our day with a short walk to the end of the street where we picked up the bus at its first stop of the route.  The sun was certainly trying to break through the somewhat overcast morning, the temperatures were on the cooler 50-60s side (South Korea is approximately the same latitude as Northern California), and the air seemed remarkably fresh and crisp to me (no sign of smog as one might have expected).  Aboard the bus, I noticed immediately how mountainous South Korea actually is (approximately 70% mountainous, in fact).

We took the bus (as we typically did most mornings/evenings on route 79 or 82) for about a 20 minute ride through various local apartments until we ended up in Yangju. Scottie wanted to pick out some custom-made suits and shirts so we spent the morning there. This small shop (the shop really could only fit Scottie, his father, and myself) owner surely needed the business as he picked us up at the bus stop driving us to his shop.  It seemed as if we were his only customers of the day, and maybe even the week. 

After Scottie's purchases, we headed to the Yangju Train Station to catch the Seoul Metro Line 1 to downtown Seoul. We studied the map above often to try to figure out which lines we needed to take to get to places.  Constructed started in 1974 along the Metropolitan Railway and today, there are 12 lines. Talk about efficiency!  Aboard the train, I had my first true taste of what it's like to not only be among the minority, but to be around so many people.  This was NYC gone crazy!

Our first real adventure of the day was to visit the smallest of the four ancient palaces in Seoul, Deoksu-gung ("Palace of Virtuous Longevity"), from the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392-1910 and established Seoul as the capital of Korea.

Originally constructed in the mid-1400s as the residence of the grandson of the King Sejo; however, when all the palaces in the capital were destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, King Seonjo used these residential buildings as a temporary palace. In 1611, this palace became a secondary palace named Gyeongun-gung, but in 1897 King Gojung proclaimed the establishment of the Great Han Empire and this was the central palace of the empire. In efforts to modernize the country, he had some of the buildings built using Western styles. But in 1907, the Japanese forced him out, and King Sunjong renamed the palace Deoksu-gung.

And that's about all for the history lesson. We walked through the main gates passing Junghwa-jeon, the throne hall or "Hall of Central Harmony".  Scottie's father explained that the military lined up on the left side and the civilians on the right side. The highest rank was the closest to the King, which sat in the throne. Only the King could walk down the middle where you see people breaking the rules!

We passed various other buildings peaking inside before heading off to coincidentally running into the reenactment of the Joseon Dynasty changing of the guards.

For lunch, we tried bibim naengmyeon: cold buckwheat noodles covered with meat strips, hard-boiled egg, vegetables, spices, and red-pepper paste. Hot as heck but tasty. I had to impress my father-in-law on the first day at least plus I cleared up the onset of my allergies. This is a favorite of Scottie's that doesn't taste good in the United States as well.

Next palace for the day was Gyeongbok-gung, "The Palace of Shining Happiness". General Yi Seong-gye ordered the construction of this Gyeongbok-gung in 1394 at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty. It was the seat of government and the royal residence at the time with 500 buildings at one point. This palace along with Deoksu-gung were both burned at one point during the Japanese invasion in 1592

We passed through the main gate to the palace, Gwanghwamun, with Mt. Bukak in the background, to climb up the Geungjeong-jong, the throne hall for the King, or "Hall of Government Restraint", for a closer look. As we toured the other buildings, Scottie's father liked to point out the chimneys there were located offsite from the buildings while they heated the building from below. We passed Hyangwon-jeong, an island in the middle of a pond, and Gyeonghoe-ru, a two-story pavilion built on the island in the middle of a lotus pond, where banquets and festivals were held. This palace also included the National Folk Museum, which we breezed through.

Behind Gyeongbok-gung is Cheongwadae, the "Blue Tile Mansion" or the Blue House, the office of the President. While we wanted to tour it, you have to make reservations in advance apparently. Boo. Instead, we took a stroll through Samcheong Park, "Three Purities Park", on Bugak-san mountain. This is where I found the Korean gym, in the parks! I'm not sure that they have gyms like Americans but they can always go to a park and find equipment like this along their strolls.

After the park, we headed towards Gahoe Bukchon Hanok Village, an upper-class neighborhood that existed during the Joseon Dynasty. These traditional homes are made of stone with tile-roof structures.

Insa-dong, known for its traditional restaurants and teahouses, antique shops, upscale art galleries, craft shops, and of course, tourist shops. It is frequented by tourists and the wealthier population. Scottie's father kept waiting for me to go shopping!

For dinner, we met up with a friend of Scottie's father's and his son. The elders went off while us 3 headed to Mudeonbapsang (sp?) for the first traditional Korean BBQ dinner. We also enjoyed some mandoo (dumplings) and some sort of pancakes. To drink, we indulged in some makgeolli, a sweetish, milky-white fermented wine made from rice. It's a traditional drink that is making a comeback in South Korea. Post-dinner, we had drinks at Mon Lit (sp?). It was a fancy bar as they did not serve any Korean beer, only Guinness. That's the one time I'll boo Guinness.

More pictures located here.  A map of our trip located here.