Sightseeing in Seoul........
This weekend I got to go sightseeing around Seoul. It was also Katie Cormier's Birthday celebration.
So on Saturday we took the subway all the way to go to the Namdaemun Market. We were also going to see Namdaemun is a historic gate that is in the middle of Seoul. It is classified as National Treasure #1 and it used to be one of the original gates (It's the Southern Gate) and it is officially called Sungnyemun which means "Gate of Exalted Ceremonies." So this was our first stop. I was really excited to see this gate, which is also the most recognizable building in Korea. Well it turns out that it got burned to the ground in February 2008 and took more than 360 firefighters to put it out. The man apparently sold his land to developers and was upset about not being paid in full, so he set it on fire and is is going to cost approximately $21 million to rebuild it. The same man was also charged with setting a fire at Changgyeon Palace in Seoul in 2006. Why he wasn't detained at that point, I don't know.
So there goes item number 1 on my list of things to see that day.......
We then proceeded to go to the Namdaemun market, which is one of the main outdoor markets in Seoul. It was very interesting to see all that was there, the food, the jade, the mother of pearl items, etc. It was very crowded and busy but great fun. There are many interesting things that are for sale here on the streets, that wouldn't be found many other places (I guess I should say, in North America). Some items include, dried frogs, dried _______ (fill in the blank, because most of the food is dried or pickled), or Ginseng in bottles of liquid, which I don't know what people would do with!?
After the market we proceeded to go to Deoksugung Palace which was nearby. The palace dates back to the 1500's and was very beautiful. It was in the middle of Seoul and it is very easy to see the contrast between new and old Seoul. There are tall modern buildings all around whilst the old palaces and courtyard bring you back to a time of old. The essence of the gardens and also the historic changing of the guards change the experience and take you out of the 21st century back to the ages of Korean Royalty. There are pictures below of the costumed people doing the changing of the guards. The trees were beautiful as they were changing, such deep reds, vibrant yellows, and non-dead-looking browns. I've also noticed that the changed leaves seem to stay on the branches for a long time, instead of changing and falling a few weeks later. It's been a good few weeks and the trees are still filled with leaves. It makes it wonderful.
We then went back and got ready for going to Katie Cormier's Birthday Celebrations near the Coex Mall....
It was a great birthday for her, she had a lot of fun, as did we. There was wine and cake and presents and friends. Great times with great people.
Sunday was a lazy day, but we made it to an area in Seoul called Itaewon. There is a little market there that we went exploring in. It was great fun and it was full of Korean things to buy. Traditional and touristy. It was a really fun weekend and I think we got a lot accomplished, but it's been a fun filled weekend and a tiring week.
Next Blog: Seoul Olympic Park and BILLY JOEL Concert!!!!
So on Saturday we took the subway all the way to go to the Namdaemun Market. We were also going to see Namdaemun is a historic gate that is in the middle of Seoul. It is classified as National Treasure #1 and it used to be one of the original gates (It's the Southern Gate) and it is officially called Sungnyemun which means "Gate of Exalted Ceremonies." So this was our first stop. I was really excited to see this gate, which is also the most recognizable building in Korea. Well it turns out that it got burned to the ground in February 2008 and took more than 360 firefighters to put it out. The man apparently sold his land to developers and was upset about not being paid in full, so he set it on fire and is is going to cost approximately $21 million to rebuild it. The same man was also charged with setting a fire at Changgyeon Palace in Seoul in 2006. Why he wasn't detained at that point, I don't know.
So there goes item number 1 on my list of things to see that day.......
We then proceeded to go to the Namdaemun market, which is one of the main outdoor markets in Seoul. It was very interesting to see all that was there, the food, the jade, the mother of pearl items, etc. It was very crowded and busy but great fun. There are many interesting things that are for sale here on the streets, that wouldn't be found many other places (I guess I should say, in North America). Some items include, dried frogs, dried _______ (fill in the blank, because most of the food is dried or pickled), or Ginseng in bottles of liquid, which I don't know what people would do with!?
After the market we proceeded to go to Deoksugung Palace which was nearby. The palace dates back to the 1500's and was very beautiful. It was in the middle of Seoul and it is very easy to see the contrast between new and old Seoul. There are tall modern buildings all around whilst the old palaces and courtyard bring you back to a time of old. The essence of the gardens and also the historic changing of the guards change the experience and take you out of the 21st century back to the ages of Korean Royalty. There are pictures below of the costumed people doing the changing of the guards. The trees were beautiful as they were changing, such deep reds, vibrant yellows, and non-dead-looking browns. I've also noticed that the changed leaves seem to stay on the branches for a long time, instead of changing and falling a few weeks later. It's been a good few weeks and the trees are still filled with leaves. It makes it wonderful.
We then went back and got ready for going to Katie Cormier's Birthday Celebrations near the Coex Mall....
It was a great birthday for her, she had a lot of fun, as did we. There was wine and cake and presents and friends. Great times with great people.
Sunday was a lazy day, but we made it to an area in Seoul called Itaewon. There is a little market there that we went exploring in. It was great fun and it was full of Korean things to buy. Traditional and touristy. It was a really fun weekend and I think we got a lot accomplished, but it's been a fun filled weekend and a tiring week.
Next Blog: Seoul Olympic Park and BILLY JOEL Concert!!!!
posted by Graeme at 5:01 AM
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