We left Busan bright and early to take the KTX high speed train to Seoul. A one-way economy ticket costs around $50 and is about 2.5 hours. You can easily book your tickets online through the KTX website and then bring your reservation number to the ticket window at the train station and get your tickets.
John and I had been to Seoul several times before, so we were familiar with some of the sights. We checked in to a guesthouse near the vibrant Hongik University area, and then headed straight to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Wikipedia tells me that Gyeongbokgung was first built in 1395, and then rebuilt in 1867 (Canadian confederation year!) after being burned down and abandoned for nearly three centuries. Korea is a country with so much history... it's amazing to visit sites that date back hundreds of years. In comparison, many sites in Canada haven't been around so long, since our country is fairly "new" compared to Korea.
Anyway, Gyeongbokgung is a pretty big complex. The Korean royals used to live there, and it dates back to the Joseon dynasty. The first time John and I visited here, we took an audio tour. This time, we all decided to take a free tour with a guide. During our visit, we also got to see the changing of the guard.
After spending a few hours at Gyeongbokgung, we made our way to Insadong, a cool cultural area not too far away from the palace. There is one main pedestrian walkway through Insadong filled with traditional restaurants, tea houses, and shops selling artisan goods. Unfortunately, my favourite tea house (The Old Tea Shop, aka "The Flying Bird Tea Shop" with real birds flying around) had a sign on the door that said "on vacation." Oh well!
While in Insadong, we ate bulgogi for dinner. Bulgogi is thinly sliced marinated beef with onions. It was pretty good! The night ended with a visit to a DVD room where you pick out your own movie, and then watch it in a private room with a big screen while relaxing on a couch or bed.
Seoul is a cool city, but I prefer the coastal charm of Busan... beaches, mountains, milder weather, and less people! Seoul city proper has approximately 10 million people, with a metropolitan area population of around 25 million. Crazy!!!
John and I had been to Seoul several times before, so we were familiar with some of the sights. We checked in to a guesthouse near the vibrant Hongik University area, and then headed straight to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Wikipedia tells me that Gyeongbokgung was first built in 1395, and then rebuilt in 1867 (Canadian confederation year!) after being burned down and abandoned for nearly three centuries. Korea is a country with so much history... it's amazing to visit sites that date back hundreds of years. In comparison, many sites in Canada haven't been around so long, since our country is fairly "new" compared to Korea.
Anyway, Gyeongbokgung is a pretty big complex. The Korean royals used to live there, and it dates back to the Joseon dynasty. The first time John and I visited here, we took an audio tour. This time, we all decided to take a free tour with a guide. During our visit, we also got to see the changing of the guard.
After spending a few hours at Gyeongbokgung, we made our way to Insadong, a cool cultural area not too far away from the palace. There is one main pedestrian walkway through Insadong filled with traditional restaurants, tea houses, and shops selling artisan goods. Unfortunately, my favourite tea house (The Old Tea Shop, aka "The Flying Bird Tea Shop" with real birds flying around) had a sign on the door that said "on vacation." Oh well!
While in Insadong, we ate bulgogi for dinner. Bulgogi is thinly sliced marinated beef with onions. It was pretty good! The night ended with a visit to a DVD room where you pick out your own movie, and then watch it in a private room with a big screen while relaxing on a couch or bed.
Seoul is a cool city, but I prefer the coastal charm of Busan... beaches, mountains, milder weather, and less people! Seoul city proper has approximately 10 million people, with a metropolitan area population of around 25 million. Crazy!!!
What are the people doing on either side of that long white paper where it looks like a dragon? And the significance of the coloured cards?
ReplyDeleteZia Alba
I'm not really sure... there was some kind of art event going on. We never got to find out.
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