Day 5: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village and Insa-dong Wonders

On Day 5, we went to the biggest of all five palaces built back during the Joseon dynasty, the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung served as the principal palace until 1592, until it was burnt down from the Japanese invasions. It laid in ruins for nearly 300 years until Heungseon Daewongun, regent and father of King Gojong, rebuilt it in 1865. King Gojong moved in during 1868.

Most of the Palace was reconstructed by the Japanese during their colonial rule, eradicating Korean culture and heritage. Gwanghwamun Gate, the main and south gate of Gyeongbokgung, was relocated by the Japanese to the east of the palace, and its wooden structure was completely destroyed during the Korean War. 

The Korean government started a 40-year initiative to restore the Palace in 1989. Since then, the Gwanghwamun Gate has been restored to its original design.

We managed to arrive just in time for the 10AM Guard Changing ceremony at the mentioned Gwanghwamun Gate.

Here are some videos I managed to capture, with many passers by, much to my annoyance...

It was really colorful and it was a short one.

Normally, there is a small entrance fee but it was "Day of Culture" so we had free admission tickets :)

However, we couldn't seem to be able to catch an English tour anywhere so we mainly just roamed around the Palace grounds on our own. It was our coldest day in Seoul at -10 degrees and there were many tourists. Mary and I initially planned to rent hanboks but because it was so cold, we changed our minds.

There is no denying how gorgeous the architecture of the Palace is. I couldn't help but imagine myself being an eunuch in the Palace. I know, so low standard but I just watched Love in the Moonlight starring Park Bogum so don't judge me lah. I should just imagine myself as a Empress right but then I read one of the Queens here got assassinated by the Japanese Empire to provoke and intimidate the Emperor. 

Real history: Empress Myeongseong (Queen Min) was the first official wife of Gojong of Korea, the twenty-sixth king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire.
Queen Min's assassination, known in Korea as the Eulmi Incident occurred in the early hours of 8 October 1895 at Okho-ru  in the Geoncheonggung , which was the rear private royal residence inside Gyeongbokgung Palace.
In the early hours of 8 October, Japanese agents under Miura Goro carried out the assassination. After the Empress was killed, the corpse was then burned and buried. The Emperor left the Palace and never again returned after the tragic incident.

So yes, an eunuch will do.

I apologize for my lack of explanation what everything was, but I cannot remember what these halls were used for.

Stunning details

Funny background story, I was wearing thermal tights but they stop at my ankle, and I wore an extra layer of normal tights over the thermal ones, and my toes were freezing and hurting the entire time. Bad idea.

Blocked off area of the Palace. Notice the waters were frozen..

Pagoda in the (frozen) Pond

It was very cold yet sunny!

Gorgeous view of the Bugaksan Mountain from inside the Palace. It is a 342-meter high granite mountain in the middle of Seoul.

In front of the Jibokjae, a two-storey private library used by King Gojong. The building shows heavy Chinese influence architecture.

Upon exiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace from the back, we saw a sign that said "Photo Zone". It turned out to be the Blue House. Heavily guarded by police officers down the entire stretch, the Blue House is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea, and is located in the capital city of Seoul.

If you're up-to-date with Korean politics, you will know that the President Park Gyuen-hye was recently suspended from office amidst impeachment proceedings. I will not bore you with the details but South Koreans have been gathering for "peaceful protests" weekend after weekend for the President to step down prior to the impeachment because of really bad political scandals where her "close friend" was caught "meddling with the nation's politics".

After our Palace visit, we took a short walk in search for Tosokchon Samgyetang, a famous must-go place near Bukchon Village, known for their ginseng chicken (samgyetang!).

True to the reviews online, there was a massive queue but we managed to get in pretty quick (photo was taken when we were leaving) as there was less people and the queue actually moves really quickly 

 Once you go inside, the restaurant spreads open into multiple areas. We were led to the one furthest behind, and yep you have to remove your footwear

 The entire restaurant can seat up to 400 people!

 Wooden tables, wooden floors for you to sit on

Menu included:

Samgye-tang (ginseng chicken soup) ㆍOgol Samgye-tang (ginseng Silkie chicken soup) ㆍOtgye-tang (chicken cooked in a Chinese sumac broth) ㆍDak-bokkeum-tang (braised spicy chicken) ㆍTongdak (roasted chicken) ㆍHaemul Pajeon (green onion pancake with seafood)

(I KNOW; my nails were hideous!!!!)

tea and shot glasses of ginseng wine! We were so noob and tried to drink it as it was. I now read online that it is supposed to be added to your Samgyetang #culturefail

Cozy

Now, the Koreans can eat one order of Samgyetang per person, but it is advisable you share it between two people because it is a large serving. Koreans can eat huh? This was our Tosokchon Chicken Ginseng Soup.

This was Mary and Thanis' Tosokchon Ogolgye Samgyetang (Black Chicken)

It was really good and you can really taste the rich ginseng taste in it. It was also warm and so good for the cold weather outside! I would love to have it again, and you do know that ginseng has lots of health benefits right? Especially Korean ginseng?

Find out more here

We also ordered the Pajeon. Thanis was saying the chefs must be confused because majority of people who eat there go for the Samgyetang :P

How to go:

[Subway] Gyeongbokgung Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2. Go straight about 170m and turn left onto Jahamun-ro 5-gil Road. Tosokchon (토속촌) is located 10m ahead on the left.

After our satisfying lunch, we walked a bit further to search for Tongin Market, a public market that Thanis read about online. Tongin Market dates back to June 1941, as a public market set up for Japanese residents near the Hyoja-dong neighborhood when Korea was still under Japanese rule.
Nowadays, it is famous for its "lunchbox" theme, 'Dosirak cafe' where you can buy an empty lunch tray and 10 old-style coins called yeopjeon. One coin is worth 500 won and you can use the coins to buy food from the many vendors in the market. When you are done filling up your tray, you can go to the second tray, sit down and have your lunch.

I didn't manage to take photos of the tray and coins, but here is one from the internet to give you an idea:

source: Seoulinsidersguide

There were so many different types of food! We were all pretty full from our lunch literally just a while ago, so my BF and I didn't really buy much. I did buy a read bean pastry though!

It was strawberry season when we were there.. There were big, red and juicy strawberries everywhere! We bought some from below our apartment in Dongdaemun and took the entire trip to finish them... Haha.

My BF really likes squid so he bought one of these

Huge!

Thanis and Mary's selection!

This was just to show how big the portion of this Wine and Cheese thing was that Mary bought

How to go:

[Subway] Gyeongbokgung Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2. - Continue straight for approx. 700m. - The market will be on your left.

Tip: Go on an empty stomach :)

As the day was still young, we continued walking to the Bukchon Hanok Village!

Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of hanoks, which are traditional houses that date back to the Joseon Dynasty. The name Bukchon, which literally translates to "northern village," came about as the neighborhood lies north of two significant Seoul landmarks, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Jongno.
Today, many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses, providing visitors with an opportunity to experience the Korean culture. The hanoks are also regular housing for people so visitors are advised to explore silently.

Such tiny parking spaces :O

Love the architecture of the hanoks!

Many of the hanoks have posters reminding visitors to be silent

You can rent hanboks here too! We saw lots of people in hanboks having photoshoots, throwing on their coats and jackets as soon as the photos are done. It was cold!

How to go:

[Subway] Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 1 or 2. - Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village. 

 [Bus] Bukchon Hanok Village Bus Stop Maeul Bus Jongno02

After our Bukchon Hanok Village stroll, we proceeded to head to Insa-dong.
Insa-dong is built of alleys paraded with galleries and traditional restaurants, teahouses and cafes.

It is also where you can find Ssamziegil Mall, With over 70 shops, the mall has a unique architectural design where each level is connected in the form of a spiral stairway.

How to go:

Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 6. Go 100m straight, then turn left. 

OR

 Jonggak Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 3. Go straight 300m, and turn left at the 4-way Intersection. Go straight 100m, and take the left road towards Insadong-gil Road.

We had a quick stop at one of the traditional teahouses (which was quite the task to find) called 인사동 반짝반짝 빛나는. Looking back, I guess it was difficult to find because I don't think it has an English name.

Aside from the young couple arguing and having a cold war, other interesting things included the quaint design of the tea house (it is on the second-storey) and the selection of traditional tea and Korean snacks available.

some favored ginger sweets (the ones covered in white flakes), known as yugwa. It was chewy and I remember everything just sticking to my teeth.

my citron tea! Warm and sour.. It was an interesting combination.

Anyeong!

Info on how to get there here

Since it was Mary and Thanis' last night in Seoul, we decided to go and have.. chicken and beer together! We had it in BHC Hoegiyeok, which was just below our apartment (next block from Lotte Fit In) back in Dongdaemun. 

We had the original version and I don't remember what the other one was but I preferred it over the original.
We also had sweet smooth draft beer to end our night and Mary and Thanis' final night in Seoul for their honeymoon.

:)
That concluded our pretty eventful day in Seoul on Day 5! Xx