Day 20-21: Seoul 서울 Part 2

Last Friday all of the students in the CLS program left for a weekend excursion in Seoul. When we were all seated on the bus and started to take off, the program directors handed us a series of maps of various locations we would be visiting within the city. Along with these maps we were given an assignment that required us to complete a variety of tasks at each designated located. They entailed finding specific foods, talking pictures and selfies at specific locations, and tracking down historical objects in the National Museum of Korea.

We began our day by visiting Gwanghwamun 광화문. This was a located in a very dense location of Seoul and is located right infront of the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace 경복궁. Gwanghwamun is famous because it was the main gate to the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace during the Joseon Dynasty. It stands as an important landmark to Korean history. The main gate is also known for the famous changing of the guards ceremony. Every hour between 10:00 and 3:00, guards at the main gate will perform a changing of the guards ceremony. I personally really enjoyed watching this ancient custom that's elegantly preserved. I would also like to give a shout out to the guards for their high level of discipline and tolerance to both tourist and the heat. This weekend there was an announcement that stated that Seoul had a heat advisory and it was the hottest day so far this summer.

After passing the guards we were capable of walking around the courtyards of Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace. This palace was originally constructed in 1395, but from a series of wars and also Japanese occupation it has been destroyed and reconstructed on numerous occasions. I was really impressed by the architectural designs of the royal palace and also how well the colors on the infrastructure were maintained. I was really glad to come here because it really peaked my interest in ancient Korean history. I'm an amateur in this department, but I hope to gain more knowledge in this area in the near future.

After the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace, we left to visit the Bukchon Hanok Villages 북촌 한옥마을. Walking around Bukchon was difficult because the majority of the Korea peninsula is mountainous. Bukchon showcases the famous Hanok Villages in numerous parts of the area. Some neighborhoods are built along mountain sides which makes the neighborhoods like quite beautiful. The Hanok Villages represent over 600 years of Korea history and Eastern architectural design. If it wasn't so hot I would have loved to stay the whole day in Bukchon.

After visiting Bukchon we all walked to the booming markets of Insadong 인사동. Insadong was a cultural melting-pot. Many foreigners like to spend their time here to get a view of Korean culture in the marketplace. This was a great location to buy souvenirs that showcased Korean culture through the arts. I didn't have much time to send here, but with this short time I had I really enjoyed window shopping and observing the the market life in Korea.

It was finally getting dark so our next stop on the list was visiting the North Seoul Tower N서울타워. The North Seoul Tower looked like it was a typical location for many couples to go on for a date. Although this many have appeared like it was the case, I still really enjoyed seeing the city lights from one of the highest points in Seoul.

The next morning we went to the National Museum of Korea 중앙박물관. At the museum we were given an assignment to track down five objects on a list and write a description of what it was in Korean. Two of the items were the same for everyone, but other than that we all had different objects. One of my friends who happens to be a 재미교포 just like myself decided to team up and tackle the assignment as fast as we could. At first I hated the assignment because I just wanted to enjoy the museum. I'm a huge fan of museums and really enjoy taking my time to see everything, this task on the other hand had to be completed so my friend and I decided to rush through the museum as ask every guard on every floor where each object was. Turns our we had a lot of fun doing this and finished with a lot of time to see all of the museum. I would like to give a shout out to all of the guards, because they were extremely knowledgable about the location of artifacts and were very kind and helpful. The National Museum of Korea does a great job in showcasing ancient Korean culture, but it also shows many historical artifacts pertaining to Ancient Eastern Asian history. Like every place I've been to till now I was quite impressed.

After this National Museum of Korea our final stop was at the Kwangjang Market 광장시장. The Kwangjang Market was very crowded but very exciting. This marketplace is known for the expansive variety of street food they sell. Here I was capable of eating numerous famous dishes. I had a great time observing the fast pace of the food markets in the Kwangjang Market.


This was my second time to visit Seoul. Although I covered a lot of ground in just a couple of day, I know that I need to come back at least one more time! Seoul is probably one of my favorite cities in the world and I honestly don't think I can get enough of it! Till next time, Seoul.

P.S. I've heard that some Koreans have taken interest in reading my blog. I'm really glad to hear this! If you want to ever talk about what my impressions on Korea are, or if you don't understand some of the things I write about, please feel free to ask me any questions. 괜찮아요!