May 22, 2014

Seoul, South Korea

Palace Throne Hall.
Changdeokgung Palace Throne Hall.

Today I walked to the Changdeokgung Palace, a nice palace with many traditional styled buildings and though not as large as Gyeongbokgung Palace, it was still very impressive, as evidenced by the number of photos I took today.

Inside the throne hall.
Inside Changgyeonggung Palace Throne Hall.
Throne Hall for Cheondukgung Palace.
Throne Hall for Changgyeonggung Palace.

I then moved on to see the neighboring Changgyeonggung  Palace, which was more quaint then  Changdeokgung Palace (I must admit that the names are a bit redundant since ‘gung’ means ‘palace’, but I’m following most western writing I’ve encountered on the subject).

Circular walkway in one of the palace's structures, seen from the outside looking in.
Circular walkway in one of the palace’s structures, seen from outside looking in.
One of the ponds in the rear garden.
One of the ponds in the rear garden.

I then took a tour around the Huwon or ‘rear garden’ (also known as the secret garden) of Changdeokgung Palace, which had many beautiful pavilions, ponds, and landscapes.

Male and female quarters in the rear garden, divided by the wall seen in the photo.
Male and female quarters in the rear garden, divided by the wall seen in the photo.
Jongmyo Shrine.
Jeongjeon (the main shrine at the Jongmyo Shrine).
Yeongnyeongjeon ("Hall of Eternal Peace") built to accommodate additional mortuary tablets.
Yeongnyeongjeon (“Hall of Eternal Peace”) built to accommodate additional mortuary tablets.

After finishing with the garden tour, I quickly walked south to the Jongmyo Shrine (where they keep the mortuary tablets of the deceased royalty and still perform memorial services for then). Since I didn’t feel like waiting forty minutes more for an English tour guide, I tagged along with a tour in Korean – I was mostly interested in the sites not the stories, besides, there were at least still signs along the way for me to read.Also, there is a stone wall for the spirits to journey only – no living person is supposed to walk on it.

Street in Bukchon Hanok Village.
Street in Bukchon Hanok Village.

After the tour, I walked down to the Bukchon Hanok Village area to look at all the old-style Korean buildings. Some spots along the way offered fantastic views of the structures.

The peak of Inwangsan mountain.
The peak of Inwangsan mountain.

I then utilized the subway to get to the Mount Inwangsan trailhead. Unfortunately photography is prohibited along much of the route for security concerns, but I did summit it and I did see some great views of the city and Gyeongbokgung Palace. I finished the day with some grilled spicy duck and Cass beer, yum yum.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.