Today, we arrived at the ICN airport at 4:00 am and drove into Seoul. Most of us were pretty tired after just coming off our 16-hour flight from Atlanta, but we were all very excited for what was to come as we began to see the natural and architectural beauty of Korea on our drive into Seoul.
After checking into the hotel, resting for a few hours, and exchanging some USD, we embarked on a journey through Seoul, navigating the vast, maze-like subway system and exploring many popular locations.
The first place we visited was Gyeongbokgung Palace, an ornately painted palace constructed in 1395 and the home of the kings of the Joseon dynasty, namely King Sejong, who is credited with creating Hangul, the Korean writing system. Its beauty and natural harmony inspired me with the surrounding landscape, specifically the resting place that sits on stone pillars above the water. I also found it super interesting to see all the curved tile roofs in person, as they ingeniously functioned to mitigate rain and dissipate heat. It is unbelievable to me just how advanced the engineering was back in the 1400s.
Afterward, we walked through Insadong, a very vibrant cultural hub in Seoul, filled with small shops, street vendors, and heavy pedestrian foot traffic. Some of my group members and I went into a local restaurant and shared beef ribs, bulgogi, and eel, all of which were very tasty.
Then we explored a historic residential neighborhood, Bukchon Hanok Village, a very interesting area filled with Joseon-era houses still occupied by residents today. Because of this, it is a bit of a weird dynamic to be there, as there are droves of people visiting a street where people still live every day, and because of this, you see enforcement of curfews for non-residents and no-talking policies to avoid disturbing residents. However, I cannot imagine they are not greatly inconvenienced by the increase in tourists and the demands from local businesses to keep up tourist volume and end the curfew, which gives them some peace.
Finally, we visited Gwangjang Market, a very busy permanent market filled with hundreds of vendors. It was super fun to look at all of the different shops and see the chefs cook a variety of local dishes. Most of us also tried live octopus, which, to put it lightly, was a unique experience, but one that was definitely worth trying.
Overall, it was an awesome first day in Korea, and I can’t believe how much we got to explore. I also can’t wait to see what is in store for us tomorrow morning and to share it on this blog