Palaces in Seoul

Gyeongbokgung Palace

The morning starts with another Korean government warning on our cell phones. Apparently North Korea is sending balloons floating garbage across the border again. We are warned to watch for falling debris.

No matter, it is a bright, sunny and warm (but not too warm) day. Just beautiful … and not a balloon in sight!

We walk to Gyeongbokgung Palace where we watch the 10am reenactment of the Changing of the Guards. It is colourful with a lot of actors. Truly spectacular. Click here for a short video.

People who wear traditional Korean dress, (Hanbok) get into the palaces for free. The dress rental is so cheap (starting at $10) and easy that a lot of people do it. There are rental places all over.

The palace grounds are enhanced by all the dressed up people.

We join a one hour English tour of the palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest of the five royal palaces in Seoul. Built in the 1300s, it was destroyed and rebuilt many times.

The day has really warmed up and we strip a few layers of clothing. We leave the palace and meander around (mostly uphill) Bukchon Hanok Village before stopping at a Gimbap place for lunch.

Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces

We next head to Changdeokgung Palace. Unfortunately we cannot get into the Secret Garden because they are sold out for the day so we check out the palace complex before heading to nearby Changgyeonggung Palace which strangely looks like the previous two palaces.

Jongmyo Shrine

Jongmyo Shrine (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is our final stop for the day. It is the oldest and most authentic Confucian Shrine in the world. This is where members of the Royal Family in the Joseon dynasty worshipped their royal ancestors.

Gwangjang Market

It is definitely time to eat so we head to Gwangjang Market (which was highlighted on Someone Feed Phil and the Netflix Street Food series). There are so many food stalls here with counters and chairs at each. I try raw conch which I dip in sauce, add some raw garlic and roll in lettuce leaves, all washed down with barley tea water. It is quite enjoyable. John tries dumplings at another stall (also good). He is carefully watched over by one of the older Korean ladies behind the counter, obviously making sure he is enjoying his meal. We try some fried mung bean pancakes. A little too greasy, not our favourite.

I end off with a fish shaped Red Bean Bungeppang: a crispy dough covering with a delicious red bean paste inside. Yummy yum yum.

We walk back to our apartment and call it a night.