Today was the first real day in Seoul, and it was packed with cultural visits.

               First, we went to Gyeongbokgung palace, the palace of the king of Korea. While Korea is now a democracy, the old palace still stands (and only blocks from the Blue House, where the president lives). We started off by watching the change of the palace guards, where guards in vibrant robes came out carrying flags and playing instruments and switched positions. I was struck by the vibrancy of their robes, because I associate military uniforms with colors like black, navy, and dark green, but their uniforms were bright red, light blue, and true blue. I doubt the palace guards wear anything like what modern Korean soldiers do (and I honestly doubt that traditional military uniforms were all in those colors), but I found their dress remarkably beautiful for a uniform. After the changing of the guard we walked to the throne of the king, and observed the special walkway for the king, the moat, the throne room, and the receiving area for foreign dignitaries. The throne building was painted a really beautiful forest green, with intricate painted designs on the ceiling and wood tiles. The screen behind the throne displayed the 5 holy mountains of Korea, demonstrating the king’s right to rule over the peninsula. I was struck by the simplicity and elegance of the structure, and the beautiful painted designs in the wood. The building seemed simple from the outside, but when looked at closer, the efficiency of the design, and the way that it was made to suit and interact with the environment was remarkable. The roof was built at a 30 degree angle to the ground to let in the perfect amount of light in both the sun and the winter, the doors and windows were ideal for creating air circulation in the summer, and the floors built to be warmed in the winter.  It’s incredible that a building like this was built over 600 years ago (it’s more than twice as old as the United States!).

               After we left the palace, we ate lunch and walked through Insadong Antique Alley, which was close to our hotel. After a bit of walking, we went to the Cheonggyecgeon Stream, which has an interesting history. It was originally a stream running through Seoul, but became very polluted when refugees used it for drinking, bathing, and cleaning. It was declared too polluted to fix, and was paved over in concrete, but more recently the concrete was dug out and the stream reinstated, and now it’s a popular walking place.

               After the stream we went to Namdaemun market, which was a lively and cheap street market. I ended up buying some clothes, souvenirs, and street food (which was delicious). The vendors were mostly older Korean women, and they spoke very little English, but with very limited Korean on my side, and limited English on theirs, it worked out okay. I’m excited to wear my new socks, cardigan and dress in the coming days (maybe even tomorrow).