We've got Seoul...

The good thing about teaching at an American school in Korea is that not only do you get American holidays off, you also get the Korean ones. Last weekend was Chusok, the Korean equivalent to our Thanksgiving. We got Monday off, so we decided to spend our Saturday in Seoul with a friend from college who is originally from Korea and is back here living there. After navigating our way through the maze of a subway system, we met up with our friend Peter and made our way to our first stop: Gyeongbokgung Palace (gee-ohng-boke-gung). This was the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty; at least that's what the brochure said. We made it there just in time to witness one of the four changing of the guard ceremonies that happen each day (except tuesdays). I put a video below so you can hear the music and see the funny guards parading back around the outer wall of the palace. Pictures follow.

Here's the main entrance gate to the entire palace.  The palace contains something like 20 or more buildings.  All of the buildings look a little alike, but have their own neat little personality.  This big mass of people out front was the result of the changing of the guard ceremony..

This is right inside the front gate.  This courtyard was all stone and looked very neat.  Our friend Peter told us that someone burned down the palace about 400 years ago, but it was rebuilt shortly after.  So the buildings aren't the originals, but still very historic.

Some Korean women dressed in traditional dresses called Hanbok.  You got to get into the palace for free if you wore your traditional clothing, so there were a good number of people walking around in similar outfits.

This is inside the king's courtroom.  Official matters were taken care of here.  The outside of this building can be seen in the picture that's right above the two women in the Hanboks.  That painting behind the king's throne is on the Korean $10 bill.  Pretty cool.

We really liked this painting of two dragons.  It was in one of the buildings at the palace, above the king's throne.

Bulldog Leopards maybe.. we thought it was neat anyway.

Here's a little video of Jess and Peter playing a little game they had set up in the palace. The object was to stand behind a line and throw these little mini javelins into a bronze kettle. There were three small holes you could get it in. It was a lot harder than Jess made it look!

This building was really cool.  It was in the middle of a big pond and just had a really scenic quality to it.  Peter told us that the pond was the means of suicide for a prince or princess after being betrayed by their lover.  How wonderfully morbid!

Another view of the pond building with the mountains in the background.

We live in Korea, but today we were tourists.. 

When we were leaving, Jess snapped this picture.  It really shows the mix of traditional and modern in Seoul.  It's cool to see the two worlds come together.

After leaving the palace, we went to a shopping district to look around, even though we didn't bring any shopping money.  Peter wanted to show us some things.  This was one thing that we thought was kind of interesting.  Among the many vendors, we found this "ajima" (ah-jee-mah - means old married woman) making these little sugar cookie things.  All she did was melt some sugar in a big metal spoon looking thing and then add some soda powder, mix it around and plop it on some wax paper.  Then she took a small press and flattened it into a cookie and pressed a star or heart design on it.  They were really cheap, and tasted like burnt marshmallows.  Mmmmmm..

Jess liked her marshmallow cookie.

Korean street evangelism in action.  There were two other people with this ajima who were carrying their own crosses.  One of them had a small boombox that was blasting the salvation message to the people around them.

A few years back, the mayor of Seoul transformed a run down part of the city into a man made creek that now goes through down town.  It's a big place for tourism and is really neat.  Every once in a while there are stepping stones to cross.  Peter and I crossed these ones.

Jess, Peter, and I hanging out at the beginning of the downtown creek.  Those fountains behind us are the source of the creek's water.  They flow down a slope and form the beginning of the stream.

Jess goofing around on the stepping stones.

Ta da!  The end!