May 5

Seoul

Another gorgeous spring day in Seoul.  I had pre-booked two walking tours today, so had a bit earlier start.  First up - the subway system.  Twenty-two subway lines and over 300 stations.  Here's a pic of some of it.

Thank goodness everything is in English as well as Korean!  It's actually very easy to navigate.  It's efficient, clean, modern, cheap, and very well used.  

A short walk from the hotel to the closest station - National Assembly.  I guess this is the National Assembly building.  Lots of police busses and other police vehicles around.

Apparently today is a national holiday - Children's Day.  To celebrate the joy, dignity, and rights of children.  Established in 1923, it is a major day for family outings.  It kicks off a series of family-focused days in May, with Parents' Day on May 8th, and Teachers' Day on May 15th.  I thought it was fitting that I passed by this Memorial Stone on my way to my first meeting point.  Indeed there was a little musical performance in progress.  

First up was a "Free walking tour from Bukchon Cultural Centre - Changdeokgung - Ikseondong".  Sanghyuk (aka Sam) was our guide.  

First up - Bukchon.  Bukchon Hanok Village is a residential neighbourhood.  It has many restored traditional Korean houses, called hanok, which date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  During the rapid redevelopment of Seoul, efforts were made to preserve the hanok.  The areas was traditionally the residential quarter of high-ranking government officials and nobility.  Many of this class of citizen have since moved to the Gangnam area south of the Han River.  BTW - there was a doll display on when we were there.

Next up was the Changdeokgung Palace, just a short walk away.  Google AI summary:  Changdeokgung Palace is a 15-th century UNESCO World Heritage site known as the "Palace of Illustrious Virtue".  As a secondary palace designed to harmonize with nature, it is renowned for its vast Secret Garden (Huwon) and being the favoured residence of Joseon kings for 270 years, often serving as the primary palace.  It was originally built, as a secondary palace, in 1405 by King Taejong.  It was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of 1592 but was rebuilt earlier than others, making it the primary residence for many kings in the later dynasty.  Many structures were heavily influenced by naturalistic design, and it served as the setting for many key events in the late Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire.

BTW - we didn't have time to visit the Secret Garden.  The palace itself is a huge complex and the grounds are immense.  Once again many people in traditional dress, and once again free admission for being old.

A smattering of photos below.  Sam, our guide, was very good at explaining the various buildings, etc., but my retention is negligible.  I do love the roof lines of all these traditional buildings...........

Next up - Sam took us through a maze of very narrow alleys (the pic below was just the entrance; they got much narrower) with an amazing selection of food & restaurant choices.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to go back for lunch.  On the way there we passed one of the many shops where you can rent traditional outfits to visit the palace.

For my next tour, the meeting point was Tagpol Park.  A lovely park which was once the site of the 15-th century Buddhist temple Wongaksa.  The word tap means "pagoda", and the park gets its name from the Wongaksa Pagoda, a 10-storied stone pagoda located in the park.  It became a park in 1897.  Tagpol Park is historically important as the site of the origin of the March First Movement 1919, an important part of the Korean Independence Movement as the first location for the reading of the Proclamation of Independence.  While I had a private tour this afternoon, unfortunately my guide spoke very poor and limited English so I didn't understand much of what he said and he couldn't understand any questions that I had.  

Some pictures from the park.

One of the monuments in the park is the Monument of Wongaksa built in 1471 to record the founding of Wongaksa temple in 1465.  The turtle shaped base is constructed from granite and the body is cut from marble.  Two elaborately carved intertwined dragons rising toward the sky holding a Buddhist gem reside on the top of the monument.

Next up - a stroll through the very busy shopping district of Insadong.  Everything from pedestrian streets to innovative multi-story buildings.  Some areas were dedicated to selling handicrafts.  

 

Next up - Chondogyo Central Grand Temple.  Chondoism is a 20-th century Korean pantheistic religion rooted in the 19-th century Donghak peasant movement.  It blends elements of shamanism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, emphasizing the humanity is diviine and focusing on personal cultivation and social welfare on earth rather than on the afterlife.  It was founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u as a reaction against social inequality and foreign influences (specifically Christianity and Japanese intrusion).  

Not sure who these guys are, but associated with one of the palaces I think.

Then on to the Jogyesa Temple (Buddhist).  

Final stop - Bosingak Bell Pavilion.  The pavilion was originally constructed in 1395 but destroyed many times by both war and fire.  In the Joseon period the bell was at the centre of the castle town.  The bell was struck to announce the opening and closing of the four gates around Seoul - at 4am and 10pm.  

It was a mentally exhausting two hours as I tried to understand anything the guide was trying to tell me.  I'm sure it was tough for him too.  But - I got to see more sights and glean a bit of info along the way.  Time to head home.  Oh look - I think the subway stations expect to see bikes; what a concept!

I stopped at a local restaurant close to the hotel for dinner.  Another language barrier combined with my complete ignorance about Korean food.  Another customer came to my rescue; he couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.  The staff were very accommodating as well.  Very kind of them all.  Then back to the hotel.  It's always reassuring when, the night before the tour starts, you see some evidence that you might be in the right place at the right time.