I walked around two popular neighborhoods today, Namdaemun and Insadong. Namdaemun was a maze of outdoor stalls and shops, buzzing with activity. I went to get new glasses there on the advice of some friends, and it was so much cheaper than in the states! Insadong was artsy, with galleries and ceramic shops along it's winding side streets. Both had its own personality, and was a lot of fun to walk through.
In addition, I went to Geongbokgun Palace, located near Gwanghwamun Square. It's arguably one of the most recognized areas of the city, and I had to laugh as I recognized it from Asian TV shows!
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| King Sejong the Great |
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| Admiral Yi Sun Sin. At this angle, it looks like he's keeping a watchful eye over the city |
Gwanghwamun itself was large and impressive, and even better, I arrived just in time for the ceremonial changing of the guard!
The palace itself was huge, spanning multiple buildings and courtyards, giving a glimpse of what life was like back in ancient days. Of course, much of the palace has been reconstructed, but it seems like meticulous care was taken for authenticity. Today's perfect Spring weather with its blue skies and blooming flowers made the palace picture perfect!
There was also a free museum located on the Palace grounds, which explained a lot about the day to day life of the people who lived there, and featured various items used by royals. It was a fascinating complement to the palace buildings.
I didn't eat anything fancy today, this was beef bulgolgi with rice for dinner... at under 5 dollars! South Korea is yummy!
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