Gyeongbokgung

I saw a lot of places during my four days in Seoul.  So rather than try to squeeze the history of all of it into one post, I'm going to separate it into a post on Gyeongbokgung, a post on the other palaces, and a post on everything else that I saw during the trip.  Since Gyeongbokgung was my favorite, I figured I'd start out with that.  So let us begin...

The royal guard standing in front of Gyeongbokgung

History of Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung ( 경복궁 ), or Gyeongbok Palace (gung means palace), translates to mean "Palace greatly blessed by heaven".  The palace was completed in 1395 and was the largest and most important of the five main palaces during the Joseon Dynasty.  It was constructed during the reign of King Taejo, who was the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, and was completed just three years after the Joseon Dynasty took control of the Korean peninsula.  The 1400's proved to be a successful century for the palace, as it underwent almost constant expansion.  The majority of this expansion took place under King Sejong the Great, who's statue now sits in front of the palace.  Unfortunately, the 16th century was not as kind to Gyeongbokgung.  Fires in the middle of the century destroyed parts of the palace and in 1592 the Japanese burnt down almost the entire compound.

King Gojong, who ruled from 1863 until 1907 and would later be known as Emperor Gojong when the Joseon Dynasty became the Korean Empire, began to restore the palace in 1865.  Reconstruction took about two years and in 1868 the King officially moved the royal family back to the palace.  The family would reside in the palace until the assassination of Empress Myeongseong in 1895 at the hands of Japanese agents.  Emperor Gojong left the palace after the death of his wife and never returned.  The Japanese again managed to almost completely destroy the palace during the takeover of Korea from 1910 to 1945.  Only seven buildings managed to survive both the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean War.

The South Korean government began a restoration project in 1989 with the goal of returning the palace to its original state.  The reconstruction is scheduled to be completed by 2029.

Layout of Gyeongbokgung

Gwanghwamun ( 광화문 )
The main gate to Gyeongbokgung is the largest gate at the palace and overlooks Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul.  This gate was originally constructed with the palace in 1395, but like the palace has also needed to be restored multiple times.

Donghwamun

Heungnyemun ( 흥례문 ) and Geunjeongmun ( 근정문 )
Heungnyemun is the second of three gates to pass through upon entering the palace.  Heungnyemun is followed by Yeongjegyo (a bridge) and Geunjeongmun (the third gate) after entering the palace through Gwanghwamun.  I'm not sure if this was the case for the other gates, but I read that the king was the only person allowed to walk through the center aisle of Geunjeongmun.

Heungnyemun

Yeongjegyo and Geunjeongmun

Geungjeongjeon ( 근정전 )
Geungjeongjeon is situated after Geunjeongmun and served as the throne hall during the Joseon Dynasty.  Although the original was destroyed during the Imjin War in 1592, the current structure was rebuilt in 1867 and was one of the seven buildings to survive the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean War.

The King's throne in Geungjeongjeon

Gyeonghoeru ( 경회루 ) and Sujeongjeon ( 수정전 )
After encountering the Throne Hall there is the option of continuing straight toward Sajeongjeon or making a left and heading into the area containing Gyeonghoeru and Sujeongjeon.  Sujeongjeon is a small building that was used by cabinet members of the Joseon Dynasty.  Gyeonghoeru is a pavillion that was originally built in 1412 and was reconstructed in 1867.  It is the largest elevated pavilion in Korea and was used to entertain guests and host banquets during the Joseon Dynasty.

Gyeonghoeru

Sajeongjeon ( 사정전 ), Gangnyeongjeon ( 강녕전 ) and Gyotaejeon ( 교태전 )
Sajeongjeon is located directly behind Geungjeongjeon and was used primarily as place for the king to meet with his top officials.  In back of Sajeongjeon is Gangnyeongjeon, which was used as the sleeping quarters for the king.  This building has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, with the most recent reconstruction finishing in 1994.  Gangnyeongjeon is followed by Gyotaejeon, also known as the queen's sleeping quarters. 

A look inside Sajeongjeon

Donggung and Jagyeongjeon are located to the right of the main palace complex.  I didn't spend much time at either of these, but Donggung served as the Palace of the Crown Prince and Jagyeongjeon was used as a sleeping quarters for Queen Sinjeongwanghu.

National Folk Museum of Korea ( 국립민속박물관 )
This museum is located on the palace grounds and is right near the main palace complex.  I didn't go inside the museum, but the outside is pretty awesome.

Part of the National Folk Museum

Hyangwonjeong ( 향원정 ) and Geoncheonggung ( 건청궁 )
From the Folk Museum I headed over to Hyangwonjeong, which is located behind the main palace complex.  Hyangwonjeong is a pavilion that is located on an island in the middle of a lake called Hyangwonji.  A bridge named Chwihyanggyo was constructed to connect the pavilion with the rest of the palace.  Behind Hyangwonjeong is Geoncheonggung, which was a personal residence for King Gojong.

Hyangwonjeong with the National Folk Museum in the distance

Jibokjae ( 집옥재 ), Sinmumun ( 신무문 ), and Taewonjeon ( 태원전 )
Jibokjae is located to the left of Geoncheonggung and served as a library for King Gojong.  Sinmumun is the North Gate of the palace and is located to the left of Jibokjae.  Sinmumun also leads to the house of the current President of South Korea.  Taewonjeon is located to the left of the North Gate and was originally constructed as a shrine to King Taejo, who was the founder of the Joseon Dynasty.

Entrance to Taewonjeon

So that about sums it up.  On my way out I headed past Yeongchumun, which is the West gate, and the National Palace Museum of Korea.  I really loved exploring this palace and I would definitely say it is one of the coolest places I have ever visited (although it doesn't top the Colosseum or Chichen Itza).  I would like to revisit this palace in the spring to check out the gardens and to visit some of the areas where I didn't get to spend too much time.

Is there a better way to start off the new year?

So I decided to start the new year off the right way.  In Seoul!  The second largest city on earth (depending on which ranking you look at) has everything you could hope to find in a huge metropolis.  Seeing as how this was my first trip to the capital, I spent most of time exploring the big tourist areas and wandering around to really get a feel for the city.  Presented in this post is my basic itinerary for the first four days of 2011.

Day 1 - January 1
Morning
6:30 - Wake up, shower and make sure I have everything ready to go.

7:15 - Leave for the train station.  

7:30 - Find out that the 7:45 train is already booked.  Looks like I'm gonna have to wait another hour. 

Afternoon
12:15 - Arrive in Seoul.  Wander about aimlessly for awhile until I stumble upon Namdaemun Market.  This market is larger than Seomun Market in Daegu, but a lot of the shops are closed and there really isn't anything that's worth a picture.

1:45 - Finally get to the first thing I was planning to see, which is Deoksugung.  Deoksugung is situated right next to City Hall, which is a pretty cool building in its own right, and is one of the five main palaces in Seoul.  This palace is a pretty great way to start out my weekend in Seoul.  I get some great shots before moving on to Namankol Folk Village.

3:15 - Get to Namankol Folk Village.  I am greeted with the sight of some pretty gigantic ice sculptures before I get into the actual village.  The village itself is interesting, but not something I would necessarily recommend as a must-see on a trip to Seoul.

4:00 - Begin my hike up to N Seoul Tower.  It's a bit of a trek, but nothing compared to hiking to Gatbawi.  Get to stop at a pretty nice vantage point overlooking the city for some pictures.

4:45 - Arrive at N Seoul Tower.  Take some more pictures before I get my ticket and wait in line to actually go up to the top.

Evening
5:30 - Finally get to the top of N Seoul Tower.  I am still supposed to be waiting in line, but I sneaked in with a tour group.  I'm not really sure how they missed me considering I stick out like a sore thumb here.

6:00 - Finish taking pictures and prepare for the descent from N Seoul Tower.

Night
7:15 - Arrive at City Hall for the festival of lights.

8:30 - Finally get to my hostel called Banana Backpackers.  Not the liveliest place in the world, but there were some people hanging around and drinking.

1:00 - Call it a night.  I'm exhausted from walking around for 8 hours and I would like to get up at a somewhat reasonable time tomorrow.


Day 2 - January 2
Morning
9:00 - Wake up

9:30 - Arrive at Unhyeongung, which is only about a five minute walk from the hostel.  Unhyeongung is another palace in Seoul, but really just looks more like a glorified residence.  It provides some nice pictures, but calling this a palace is a bit of a stretch.

10:30 - Stumble upon Jongno Tower and Bosingak, which is an old bell tower.  Jongno Tower is definitely one of the coolest buildings I have ever seen.

10:45 - Head on over to Gyeonghuigung, which is yet another palace.  This is definitely an improvement over Unhyeongung, but not quite as cool as Deoksugung.

11:30 - Begin my ascent of Inwangsan.  This mountain is situated in Seoul.  One thing I really love about Korea so far is the fact that all of their cities are either built around or built into mountains.

Afternoon
12:15 - Reach the summit of Inwangsan.  Take a picture before being told by South Korea's secret service that I'm not allowed to take photos in the direction of the President's house, which is situated at the foot of the mountain.

1:15 - Get back to the bottom of the mountain and begin my search for Seodaemun Prison History Museum.

4:15 - Arrive at Seodaemun Prison History Museum.  I mayyyyyy have gotten a little lost along the way.  This museum features some interesting history on the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945.

Evening
5:30 - Get off the subway at Seoul World Cup Stadium.  I was hoping the stadium would be lit up (everything in this city is), but I am disappointed.  I might head back during a different trip to Seoul.

7:00 - Find Backpacker Friends, which is my hostel for the night.  This isn't exactly a hostel.  It's pretty much an apartment that's been converted into a place that can fit 10 people.  But it will do for the night.  I'm not exactly picky.

Night
10:00 - Head out on the town.

3:00 - Bedtime

Day 3 - January 3 
Morning
9:30 - Wake up

11:00 - Arrive in downtown Seoul after taking the subway.

11:15 - Get to Gyeongbokgung.  Now this is a palace!  It is gigantic and I am really glad I went to the other three palaces first because I would have been sorely disappointed in those if I had started out here.  They even have a changing of the guard ceremony outside of the front gate.

  
Afternoon
1:15 - Finally leave Gyeongbokgung.  It is an awesome palace and is definitely worth an hour or two of your time if you ever go to Seoul.

1:45 - Walk around Tapgol Park.  It's a nice place, but I don't think anything is going to compare with Gyeongbokgung.

2:15 - Start my walk along Cheonggyecheon River.  The river goes right through downtown Seoul.

2:45 - Arrive in Dongdaemun.  Dongdaemun is a huge shopping district in Seoul and has some really cool buildings.

Evening
5:15 - Arrive at Bong House, which is my hostel for the night.  And if you're wondering, the owner's last name is Bong.  So get any other thoughts out of your head.


Night
9:45 - Time to head out.

3:15 - Good Night.

Day 4 - January 4
Morning
9:30 - Wake up

10:30 - Take a short walk from my hostel to Ihwajang, which is a former president's house.  Not worth the time of heading over here.  It's not really anything more than a nice house.

10:45 - Find my way to Changgyeonggung.  This palace is pretty tiny, but it has a really large garden and pond.  I think I might come back here in the spring to see what it looks like.

Afternoon
12:00 -Enter Changdeokgung, which is right next to Changgyeonggung.  This is probably the second best palace in Seoul after Gyeongbokgung.

12:45 - Leave Changdeokgung and find my way to Jongmyo.

1:15 - Arrive at Jongmyo and find out that it's closed.  I knew there was a reason I was planning to see that on Monday.

1:30 - Take the subway to Seoul Station and book a train at 2:15.

2:15 - Depart Seoul.  It's been fun!


Evening
5:45 - Train arrives in Waegwan Station.

6:00 - Home sweet home.

All in all, I would say it was a pretty successful trip.  Jongmyo ended up being the only sight I was unable to visit.  If I end up going back to Changyeonggung in the spring I'll be sure to tack on Jongmyo to my trip.  So what would I recommend as sights to check out from my first trip to Seoul?

1. Gyeongbokgung - You probably could have guessed that this was my favorite place from reading the blog. Even if you aren't into history or architecture, this is still a pretty awesome palace to visit.

2. Dongdaemun at night - Lights, lights, and more lights.  A shopper's paradise. And even if you aren't looking to buy anything I would recommend a visit just to see all of the light displays on the buildings.

3. N Seoul Tower - Hike to the top or take the cable car for a couple bucks.  It was pretty crowded, which was a pain, but you can view the entire city from the tower.

4. Inwangsan (or another mountain in Seoul) - I really enjoy hiking.  If it's not your thing then ignore this suggestion, but there are so many mountains in or around Seoul that I think it's definitely worth it to commit a couple hours to the great outdoors.

5. Changdeokgung - Second best palace in Seoul.