Just as Nicole's mother and J had warned us earlier about this day, Siberian winds did indeed reach Seoul, plummeting temperatures down significantly till between -16 to -18 degrees Celsius even in the day! That is just about the coldest I have ever experienced in my life! In fact according to the staff from Backpackers Inside, in the days to come we would be experiencing the coldest Christmas season in 30 years >.<. Despite the cold, it hadn't started snowing yet though.
Stepping out of Inside Backpackers
Stepping out of our 'home', the effects of this phenomenon were felt almost immediately. Unlike our previous days of walking out in the open, the chilly weather this time round could actually penetrate through our fluffy jackets! PPrrr....Arriving at Gyeongbokgung Station slightly later than planned, we quickly made our way out to Gwanghwamun (the front gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace) to try and catch the 10am session of Changing of Guards Ceremony. Although the ceremony repeats several times in a day, the first one at 10am would be the longest one and should provide us with more opportunities to attempt on some nice shots!
*Before reading on, you may want to have a look at a short photo montage video I made on Gyeongbokgung Palace. Enjoy =)
Fortunately, we made it just before 10am with some extra time to spare! Normally, the Changing of Guards Ceremony would take place between the grounds of Gwanghwamun and Heungnyemun (outer-most south gate and second inner gate). However, preparations were going on for the KBS 2TV's "80 Days of Promises" outdoor concert on that particular location and so the ceremony was simplified and conducted just outside Gwanghwamun.
Guards formed up in front of Gwanghwamun
Incoming guards to "replace" outgoing guards
Commander giving orders from above
This should be the outgoing guard's team captain
I really love this picture although I am not too sure what position he was enacting
Standing guard in front of the gates
Watching out for "intruders"
My fingers totally went numb shooting the above pictures because of the cold weather! Even after wearing my gloves, my fingers still felt extremely cold.
Satisfied with the pictures we took of the guards, we started our exploration of the palace complex. Entering through Gwanghwamun, we headed for the ticketing booth and purchased our tickets for 3000won (~S$3.50) each.
As mentioned before, the front of Heungnyemun was being used for an outdoor concert stage, hence we had to walk up onto the stage from the side to enter through the second gate. Interesting huh?
Heungnyemun
"80 Days of Promises" Outdoor Concert
"80 Days of Promises" outdoor concert. No we didnt attend this if you are wondering.
Going past Heungnyemun was another open area with yet another gate in front - the Geunjeongmun. Boarded by a sheltered corridor, the area was divided by something that looked like a moat (man-made cliff or stream for defence purposes). This should be where the last line of defense was situated during the Joseon Dynasty.
Sheltered corridor
This should be a moat
bridge over the moat with Geunjeongmun at the background
Geunjeongmun
Throne Hall
Throne. Entry inside is forbidden
Stones depicting the standing positions of officials
Frankly, I can't recall the exact route we took to explore the palace because the area was HUGE. As so, I will not be touching on that. Neither am I going to conduct a history lesson here. Instead, I will be sharing more on my thoughts of the palace itself and some of my favorite shots. =)
What I really liked most about the buildings were the elaborate designs of the roofs! Seriously. Like I felt most of the designing efforts were emphasized on the roofs!
Some of the places we visited were the different living quarters and offices of Royals from the Joseon Dynasty.
Jagyeongjeon (The Late Queen's Quarters)
Jagyeongjeon (The Late Queen's Quarters)
The next few shots were taken of the various room areas most likely for servants and guards. The rooms were empty and locked as expected.
Although majority of the buildings do look alike, there were some rather unique ones that stand out such as Hwangwonjeong (the Lake Pavilion) and Gyeonghoeru (Royal Banquet Hall).
Hwangwonjeong (the Lake Pavilion)
Gyeonghoeru (Royal Banquet Hall)
Having explored most of the palace, it was time to head back out via the Gwanghwamun gate to find a restaurant where we could have our lunch around the vicinity. We did visit the palace museum nearby as well. Looking around, we reached a mutual consensus that this would be the best place to find out more about the history of the palace and Korea. We didn't take many pictures though as museums were just not our thing and we only stayed for a brief moment to thaw our frozen fingers, toes and ears.
Visitors could take a few shots with several palace costume picture boards before leaving =).
Palace costume picture boards
Near the subway, there were several restaurants to choose from to have our lunch and we decided on this one randomly - 새마을식당 (Village Restaurant). We ordered the 7분돼지김치 (7 minutes pork kimchi stew) as we wanted something really spicy to counter the cold weather out there. Served with rice and lots of seaweed, it was just the thing we needed.
Bracing ourselves once again, we headed out for the next intended destination after our lunch - Cheonggyecheon Stream.
Cheonggyecheon Stream is a 8.5km long stream which cuts through downtown Seoul to eventually meet up with the Han River. Having been restored quite a few years back, it has been a tourist attraction since then. Depending on where you would like to start your walk along the stream, there are various subway stations you could alight at along the 8.5km stretch to choose from.
When we got to the stream however, we had a change of minds. Taking a look at what the area around the stream had to offer, it was quite obvious that the walk was more suitable for couples who wanted a romantic time together, and as mentioned earlier, we were not the type to appreciate the art pieces that were along the stream walls.
We were, however, interested in the famous water and light features display at the start of the stream but that would only be prominent in the night. Deciding to return to the stream only then, we simply walked around randomly and explored anything that came our way.
Spotting a McDonalds' Restaurant nearby, we decided to be greedy and try out its burgers to compare the standard with Singapore's =).
X decided to order the Bulgogi Burger Meal while I chose the Shanghai Spicy Burger Meal. Ok, now here comes my critiques.
Coca-Cola Drink: Tastes much nicer than Singapore's. Definitely sweeter =)
French Fries: Tastes somewhat similar to Singapore's.
Burger: Singapore McBurgers are way better. The meat patties in both the McBurgers we ordered were tough and dry. The taste was also more towards the blend side with little use of oil to moisten.
Sorry to be harsh >.<. In conclusion, I do not recommend eating McDonalds' in Korea. With the 7,000won, it could have gotten me a much better meal in any average Korean Restaurant out there.
Our McValue Meals
Shanghai Spicy Burger
Bulgogi Burger
Well after our meal, we headed back out and continued our aimless walk, burning those extra calories we had just put on. From Lotte Duty Free Departmental Store, we walked street after street and admired the Christmas Decorations and mini stage performances. We occasionally stopping to check out shopping stores and food stalls along the way too.
Lotte Duty Free Departmental Store
Christmas Caroling
Streets of Myeongdong
Nice Christmas decorations!
Time seemed to pass rather quickly and it was soon close to nightfall. With the sky turning dark, we headed back to Cheonggyecheon Stream. We didn't exactly arrive at the front end of the stream and had to walk for quite a fair bit of distance before we reached our intended spot.
Cheonggyecheon Stream in the evening
For those who were wondering what I meant by art work on the walls of the stream earlier, this is an example of what I was referring to =)
Getting closer to the starting point of the stream, we could see the huge Christmas tree! We just couldn't wait to get there!
At long last, we arrived at the start of the stream and were treated to a beautiful display of Christmas decorations and lightnings! The main attraction was the huge Christmas tree that seemed about 5-6 stories high!
Situating ourselves right next to the stream itself, we braved not only the cold weather but also the cold water droplets splashing out from the waterfall to take the following shots! Though it was blistering cold, I felt it was well worth my efforts as I simply fell in love with this shot! =)
The Christmas mood was definitely in the air with carols being sung by choirs and live bands behind the tree, and families and couples coming together to celebrate Christmas along the stream banks!
Up front with the Christmas Tree
Having loitered around the area for quite a long duration, it was time for us to head back home! Home as in our Guesthouse =) Remember when I mentioned about how much I loved Backpackers Inside and its homely feel? Well, this was one of the many reasons. They were having a Christmas countdown party for all of us! =)
With lots of champagne (soft drinks were also available for minors) and Christmas snacks, we played games, had a little in-house dance battle and simply just chilled through the night and made many new friends! Was definitely one of my best Christmas-Eves ever!
One of the staff from Backpackers Inside
Owner of Backpackers Inside
Staff members from Backpackers Inside
Well if you are worried about the thought that the parties might drag all the way into the wee hours of the morning, it doesn't. I am sure no one wants to sightsee in Seoul with a major hangover >.< By 12 midnight, the party was wrapped up and everyone said their good byes and good nights. Merry Christmas!
We too headed to bed as we would need to wake up very early the next morning =) Good night!
enjoy reading ur entries. definately a good review b4 going there next yr
ReplyDeletebtw Cheonggyecheon Stream looks like the scene in Athena :)
Thanks for your compliments!
ReplyDeleteIm not too sure. I have yet to watch Athena haha