ALT in Shimosuwa, Japan: Seoul Day 1: Gyeonbok Palace

Neither of us slept well last night, so we were very tired and stayed in our hotel room for the morning, resting and deciding our plan for the day.

In the afternoon, we headed out to the subway. I found it more confusing than Japanese subways, with less signs in English or even in Korean, but we still found our way eventually. At first one of the ticket machines stole 4,000 won from me- which is about $4- but the station guy got it back for me. :) Anyway, after a couple of trains, we made it to our destination: Gyeonbokgung.

Gyeonbokgung, or Gyeonbok Palace is one of or the biggest palace in Seoul. Apparently it was built in 1395 but burned down in an invasion, so it was restored around the turn of the 20th century. The palace is really a large palace complex with many walls, gates, and several buildings. There were many tourists there, including some foreigners, but it wasn't crowded by any means. It was cold, but not as cold as it could have been (which means our faces were frozen but my nose wasn't dripping too much). :P I had a really good time taking pictures and exploring the grounds. Mom thought it was interesting how the statues on the fences were different animals such as iguanas, dragons, tigers, and bunnies!! I don't know if a rabbit is the best guardian... ;)

Oh, before we entered the palace, we stopped at the palace's cafe for a late lunch. One of their seasonal specialties caught our eye. It's called "goguma cheese beombeok" and it was sweet potatoes mixed with a ton of cheese and bits of green pepper & bacon. It was sooooo delicious!! They also gave us free kimchi and pickled radish, which is a custom no matter what you order in Korea. :) I'm looking forward to trying even more Korean dishes in the next two days!