Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace - inner temple
Lotus Pond at back of Gyeongbokgung Palace
Chandeokgung Palace
Statue of Brothers - Korean War Memorial
Statue of front of grounds
Ship - Korean War Memorial
Tank - Korean War Memorial
US Airforce plane - Korean War Memorial
Korean War Planes - Seoul Tower in background
One of the guns
Impressive
US statistics in Korean War
Statue of the "The Brothers" from a distance
Walking onto the grounds.
Today I had a partial day in Seoul before flying out to Beijing in the evening. It is 4:15pm right now, I'm sitting in the Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea. Because I may be limited on blog access for a few days, I thought I would post some pictures from today.
Today I had a chance to visit 2 of the 5 main palaces from the "Five Grand Palaces" built during the Joseon Dynasty. Also, I had a chance to visit the Korean War Memorial This was my favorite part of the day. Wow! Really interesting grounds with airplanes, tanks, and memorials all displayed from this 1950s war. A few thoughts on each location I visited today are found below:
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Known as the "Palace of Shining Happiness" - the Gyeongbokgung Palace is the city's oldest and largest. It was first constructed in 1392 and became the countries main seat of power through the centuries. The palace was the traditional home to kings for 200 years until the Japanese invasion of 1592. Five hundred buildings stood on its property when it was first built - an absolute city unto itself.
This Palace was immense. I could have spent 8 hours here easy. I covered the bulk of the ground with some pace - incredible to see. The pictures from the former layout were remarkable.
Chandeokgung Palace
Known as the "Palace of Prospering Virtue" - More than 13 of Korea's Kings have lingered in the beautiful wooded Secret Garden of the Changdeokgung Palace. This Palace is centrally located in Seoul - roughly 1/2 mile from Gyeongbokgung Palace.
I chose not to do the inside tour today -- grabbed a couple shots from the exterior. Considered the second most popular of the 5 Grand Palaces to tour (Gyeongbokgung being the #1 attraction)
Korean War Memorial
The pictures I've posted above will help tell the story of this location. Incredible sites. 21 countries came to the aid of South Korea in this war. There was a Peace Plaza with memorials of all the nations involved. They also displayed the numbers wounded and killed in action. The US had the most casualties - by far - of the United Nations countries coming to the defense of South Korea. On a quick count when I walked around, the US had more casualties than all the other assisting nations combined.
For some reason, I think of the TV show MASH when I think about the Korean War. I know it was a TV show, but it still had some details around the war, how Seoul was involved, and the devastation that resulted.
It's getting close to 5pm now, I have to run off to my gate to board my 5:50pm flight to Beijing. Here's to a very quick 2 days in Seoul, South Korea. Thoughts - impressive nation! Fantastic airport, clean city, respective culture, some great sites. I would recommend this location to anyone for a visit when heading to the Far East.
Update ---- I made it to Beijing, China around 7:30pm local time. I had a nice flight where I talked with a Chinese girl the entire trip. She had a conference in Seoul and was returning home. She was in academia and communicated well in English. Upon arrival, I had to get some money from the ATM (all came out in 100 yuan bills) and take a 3 train combination to my hotel. I finally arrived around 10pm. I was upgraded to a suite for free which was nice. Tomorrow the Chinese adventure begins!
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