At Gyeongbokgung Palace
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Seoul was one of those places that was never on my radar or future travel list. But it came up as an option when we were looking for one more long mileage run to Asia to end out the year. What happens when you have no set expectations of a place...it generally pleasantly surprises you! In this instance, Seoul far exceeded! I would highly recommend Seoul to anyone looking to explore Asia further. Very easy to get around, nice people, clean and felt safe, good eats and beautiful sites to visit.
DMZ Tour
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Out and About in Seoul
DMZ Tour -
- The DMZ (North Korea border) tour was a highlight of our weekend in Seoul. And it was just a half-day, so for a quick weekend it was perfect.
- After being picked up at the hotel, our guide drove to Imjingak Park, where we got to get out to see the Freedom Bridge. It was interesting....but mostly it was just cold!
- Next we went to the Dora Observatory where we could look across to North Korea!
- Our next stop was at Dorasan Station ("The starting point of the transcontinental railroad", the train station built in hopes of connecting with North Korea and the rest of Asia. This was surprisingly an interesting stop, mostly just to learn about the history of the station and how it signifies so much hope from the country of the border opening someday and this train station finally being in use.
- We got our North Korea immigration stamp at the station (self-service). Only on a piece of paper though - do NOT put this in your passport. ;)
- Finally, our tour ended at the Demilitarized Zone to visit the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, which was discovered in 1978. No cameras allowed and hard hats on - we got to walk down the VERY long and narrow tunnel to get to the original tunnel that the North Korean's dug trying to sneak into South Korea. We could walk as far as the Military Demarcation Line and just barely peak through the barricades looking oh so close to North Korea. There was a digital sign at that point counting how many days have passed since the armistice agreement on July 27, 1953. The history is quite interesting - you can read more about it here.
**On mobile device, click any photo to enter gallery with captions
Gyeongbokgung Palace -
- We arrived at the palace 10 minutes before the cutoff time to enter. With an hour to explore before the 5pm closing, we quickly walked through the grounds to see as much as we could. The crowds had thinned by this point and it made the experience much more enjoyable.
- The light at the end of the day was magnificent! I couldn't get enough photos of the setting sun bouncing off the buildings and ponds....just beautiful and peaceful.
- Closer to 5 they started blocking off areas of the palace in an effort to push the crowds out. We ended up towards the tail end of the group near the security guards, and it was really perfect to get some final shots of the palace without the crowds.
Changdeokgung Palace
- We arrived early in the morning to make the most of our day. Once again, with cold weather and the time of day - the crowds were very thin.
- A recommendation to us was to go on the Secret Garden tour (and we would highly recommend it as well). The tour was just over an hour and they walked us through 4 main parts of the living quarters...that surprisingly people lived in up until the late 1980s. The tour was relaxing and equally fascinating to see how some lived at the palace.
- After the tour, we were pressed for time - so we did a quick stop by the King's throne and king/queen residences in the general admission area, which were highlights for their colorful structures.
Bukchon Hanok Village
- From Changdeokgung Palace we walked over to Buckchon Village and had fun weaving our way around the neighborhood and old wooden houses...plus got a good workout going up and down all the hilly roads!
Odds and Ends -
- On our first day there were a lot of protests (extremely peaceful though) outside of city hall and near the Gyeongbokgung palace. We think they were protesting to keep the US troops. Unusual to see the American flag being carried by so many people while in South Korea.
- We walked around Insadong street to look at the souvenirs, but really weren't feeling the "cheap trinket" type shopping. Thankfully though on our way back to the subway we ran across a vendor who was an artist making fans. He painted our names, in Korean, onto the fan while we waited, and it was just perfect for our Korea souvenir.
- Namdaemun Market was right across from our hotel. It was fun to walk through and peak at what the vendors were cooking up and selling.
Food and Drink
Delicious Korean food - there weren't enough meals in our trip to enjoy it all!
- After arriving back in town from our DMZ tour, we stumbled upon a place to warm up with some delicious Korean beef soup and soju!
- We lucked out while walking from the Palace to Bukchon village by finding a very small dumplings to-go store. We grabbed an order to share, found a bench on a quiet street and thoroughly enjoyed the yummy treats!
- Near Bukshon village we found a tea house (Cha-teul) and decided to forgo lunch to have an afternoon tea instead. What a great decision! After finally getting a table, you take your shoes off, take a seat on the floor cushion and enjoy the experience. I tried this amazing bright pink tea called five taste tea. Later to learn it is Omija berry tea, which we went scouring the city for on our last day. We also enjoyed a tasty Pumpkin rice cake that hit the spot.
- We couldn't leave South Korea without some Korean BBQ! The hotel concierge helped us find a place very close to our hotel and we got there early so we could get a table in the small restaurant. We ordered the brisket and pork belly and wow! That brisket was to die for. Seriously. Unlike Korean BBQ at home, here the waiters would place, turn and cook the meat for you on the grill table. We were constantly amazed that no matter how busy they were with other tables, they never once forgot to come turn the meat.
Feet
Traveling feet!
