On our long, enduring plane ride, I tried my best to sleep on the end half of the flight in hopes of adjusting to the time here. Arriving at 4 AM, we immediately grouped together, got a few snacks in one of the convenience stores and met with our tour guide, Jinny. She was extremely helpful, giving us useful information on the landmarks and history throughout the day’s traveling. Once we arrived at Hotel Cappuccino, we checked out a local soup spot for a delicious breakfast. Having our first taste of the food at this location was a great impression on what was to come the next two weeks. Then, we began our journey into Jongno-Gu to get a sense of Seoul’s version of Times Square. Here, there were remarkable statues of the admiral and king, who founded the Korean alphabet. Being at the center of the city was such a surreal feeling to experience on the first day as it truly kicked off the trip to a good start.
After learning more about the history behind the origin of Seoul, we entered the Gyeongbokgung Palace with the opportunity to explore the Blue House and presidential residency. Entering the palace, we had the wonderful opportunity to witness the change of the royal guard. This was such a cool experience to understand and the cultural differences from America, as I have witnessed the change of the guard at Arlington. What I loved most about the palace was the architecture of the temple-style buildings and the colorful art that encompassed them. I could immediately get a sense of the time that was needed to carefully put all the details into these buildings. The symbolism behind each building and the art that was on them was very intriguing, with a meaning behind everything. With a little bit of free time, we explored a street market which was within a long alleyway. There were dozens of little shops and food spots, smelling amazing.
After a long day of walking, we came back to the hotel to finally check into our rooms. We were all super tired especially after the subway race back to the hotel. To end off the night, a few others and I went to a local Korean BBQ restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal.
