The next day, we went to Gyeongbokgung because our friends wanted to go to a palace. I chose Gyeongbokgung because the station in itself is quite the marvel to see! It's definitely not everyday you see a train station with a built-in gallery.
Public spaces can be beautiful!
Lots of beautiful historic context in the architecture of the station alone!
Couldn't help but notice how they finished this hallway by creating a subtle transition of textures; gently signifying the gradual refinement of architecture that occurs over time. It starts rough and rustic on the bottom and then smooths out - eventually met by the modern cove lighting. Awesome!
At this time, my group actually got separated and for the most part, it was just me and my friend, Lica in Gyeongbokgung.
Tourists and locals alike rented Hanboks outside and were allowed free entry to the palace.
Around this time was the ceremony of changing of the guards. We all headed out to watch.
Everyone was sorted by the ushers to create a clear space for the guards to move.
The ceremony took about 10 minutes. New guards emerge from the gates, the leader inspects everyone, and then they relieve the previous batch of their duties.
While we were waiting to be reunited with the others, Lica and I decided to check out the National Palace Museum of Korea! Admission is free here!
The gallery here is pretty small and very dark. The displays are all relics from different dynasties of Korea.
Prehistoric town plan!
Preserved lion statue.
Even hair ornaments were on display!
Traditional wear for royalty.
We finally met up with the others at the museum cafe which is also the nearest thing to the station.
The food here is pretty expensive so I just took a photo for the blog. Haha!
Here's my friend, Keena, with her rented hanbok! We split up again while they returned their hanboks so Lica and I roamed around Gyeongbok Station because we were *starving*
We found a little Korean restaurant by following where all the workers were going. Haha! We ended up eating lunch ahead of everyone because we couldn't take it anymore. It's really interesting how the banchan or appetizers are different for every restaurant. The unexpected side dishes in the restaurant were pickled perilla leaves (dark green leaves at the lower left) and the tofu with sesame sauce (upper right). They were both good though!
We ordered the stir-fried pork which is apparently a very popular lunch order in Seoul. It's like a go-to dish but it was the first I've ever heard of it. The pork is smoky, sweet, and little bit spicy and goes incredibly well with rice. I was definitely full and a good deal at 8000won per person!
After lunch, we headed to Anguk for the Bukchon Hanok Village. More on this on the next post!
No comments:
Post a Comment