Changdeok Palace

Finally, it lets me post a picture! Wow! How are the comments working?

Well this weekend was a nice weekend at home in Seoul. Mainly because I had signed up for a class that included a free tour of Changdeok Palace on Saturday. Plus it was the fireworks festival. M came to do some much needed shopping, and failed. He just couldn't be moved to spend money on useful items (I know the feeling all to well).  But I sweet talked the tour guides into letting M come on the tour, so his weekend wasn't a total loss.

The palace was pretty cool, but much the same as Gyeongbok Palace. This time however, I had some history of the period that these palaces were built, who commissioned their building, and had a tour guide to tell us what buildings were what. This made it more interesting. However, we were not allowed to stop and take pictures. Always some one ushering use here or there. Annoying.

Changdeok is one of five palaces in Seoul and it is one of those UNESCO World Heritage sites. And when it was built (in the 15th C), it was outside of Seoul (believe it or not). It is still hard to believe it is in the middle of Seoul. Once you enter it is as if you are in a biodome, there is a visable line between the clean air surrounding the palace garden and the smog of the city. Also the palace walls block out the noise. The palace was destroyed  in the 16th C during the Japanese invasion. IT was burned and destroyed several times through fires (didn't mention anything about the Korean War though) and has since been rennovated. Actually the royal family lived at this palace until 1989.

I mentioned the garden, it is called the "Secret Garden," I think mainly because it has only just recently opened up to visitors and costs quite a bit of money to get into. It is a forest, full of trees and bushes, and ponds. The most beautiful part of the garden (apparently) was quite disapointing. The stream had just a tiny little trickle of water in it. So much for feng shui. This rock is supposed to be a waterfall. Sigh.