Korea 2024 - Day 5: Gyeongbokgung Palace

This was the day I decided to explore a bit of Korean history, I was going to visit Gyeogbokgung Palace.  This was the main royal palace under the Joseon dynasty and was originally built in 1395.  Little of the original buildigs still remain thanks to a fire during the Imjin Warfd and Japanese Occupation.  It was burned by the Japanese, sat abandoned for about 2 centuries, rebuilt, and destroyed again by the Japanese.  It is slowly regoing a restoration that started in the 1990's. 

There is a small admission fee to get in.  You can have that waived if you come to visit wearing traditional Korean costumes called Hanbok.  Although I do find cosplay to be fun at times, I did opt to pay admission. 

This is the main entrance, Gwanghwamun Gate.  You can see that a lot of people opt for Hanbok.  It does make for a cool atmosphere.  I was still happy with my choice, as it was a warm day and those Habok are full coverage.

This is looking at the gate from near the street.  It's pretty impressive.  I was lucky to arrive during the twice-daily changing of the guard performance.  This is not an actual working palace, so the ceremony is just a reenactment.  

It is pretty colorful though.  I got there about midway through, so I mostly saw their backs, but it was still pretty cool.

After buying my ticket at a self-service machine to the side of the first courtyard, I was able to enter through the second gate, Heungnyemun.  You can see a line of Korean school children waiting to get in.  I hung out in the courtyard until that had cleared out.

I also went the opposite direction of the crouds.  They were going through the center of the grounds, so I went to the right.  This is Bihyeongak, the study of the crown prince.  I believe it is the most recently rebuilt. 

I kind of wandered aimlessly around the grounds.  It was fun seeing everyone in their traditional clothes and lent a fun atmosphere to the surroundings.

I grew to love the decoration of traditional Korean buildings.  It's just so pretty...

I missed which building this was, but it sure takes a pretty picture.

The decorative elements of traditional Korean architecture are fun too.  Looks like we have a dragon's head here.

These paintings of deer are in the queen's quarters, Gyotaejeon.  I actually enjoyed hers more than the King's.

Here is part of the interior.

This is her garden behind Gyotaejeon.  It is a traditional Korean terraced design with ornamental chimneys.

This pagoda peeped over the palace walls and is a part of the National Folk Museum of Korea.

Just some archtectural details that I thought were lovely

This little pavilion on an island in the middle of an artificial lake is Hwangwonjeong.  Loosely translated this means "Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance."

This is a close-up of the lower level of the main banquet hall looking across one of the bridges that provides entrance to it.  The banquets took place on the second floor.  This is one of the two buildings that remain of the palace complex from the original reconstruction in 1592.  The other is the Dowager Queen's quarters...which I missed somehow.

Her is a full view of Gyeonghoeru, the banquet hall.  Impressive, right?

I saw this bird in a tree and just had to capture him.  

This is Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall.  

At this point, I was pretty tired...one last shot of the inner gate as I was headed out.

I was also starving.  I found a noodle place that looked promising and ordered noodles and vegetables in dried anchovy broth.  It was pretty good and I finished almost all of it.  I also tried the kimchi and ate some of the pickled daikon with bean sprouts.  

And I was done.  Back to the room and collapsed...that was a lot of walking.