Seoul, Korea

For our final day in Korea, we were back in Seoul.  We went to Gyeongbokgung Palace first constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867 is largest of five palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty.

We made it just in time to see the changing of the guards.  They didn't seem to mind that tourists wanted to have their pictures taken next to a guard.



Their costumes were great.  I especially liked the feathers in their hat the their weapons.

 

This is Geunjeongjeon Hall, the throne hall where the king would give royal audiences.

Inside you can see the throne and all the intricate designs that are painted on the walls and ceiling.

The throne hall was surrounded by these stone animal sculptures.  This is the blue dragon, one of thirteen different sculptures surrounding the throne.

Koreans have a zodiac calendar.  Here is much more than you wanted to know about it, but I thought it was interesting: The Lunar Calendar was the basis of Korean life in the past and to this day, holidays/celebratory events are based on the moon's cycles. Years were represented by animals that followed each other in an established order repeated every 12 years. In Korea, when someone asks about your sign, they are not only getting a sense of your personality as people in the West do with signs of the zodiac, they are also working out your age.

The twelve animals guardian deities collectively known as the Sibijisin, which literally means "Twelve (sibi) gods of the earth (jisin)." They were also used to measure the hours of the day as well as to represent direction. For example, the hours between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. had been called "Myosi" (Time of the Rabbit), and the hours between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. "Misi" (Time of the Sheep). The entire day had been divided into twelve different "times," each represented by one of the twelve animals. (See attached for more details)

The twelve animal signs are: Rat (aka Mouse), Ox (aka Cow, Bull, Buffalo), Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep (Ram or Goat also), Monkey, Rooster (aka Chicken), Dog and Pig. Every animal is considered to have specific characteristics, which are shared by people born in their year. The year itself may be defined by its animal.

 

Dave and I were both born in the year of the OX as pictured above.  That means OX: The Ox, which is also known as the Buffalo, sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or(Water) Buffalo are seen as stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes.
Ox years: 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

The palace grounds also had a museum which in part depicted Korean life.  Here is a display about Kimchi, the favored fermented vegetable dish that is served with meals.

A census record in Korean from the 1800's.

This is the pagoda roof of the musum.

 These Korean totem poles or jangseung were placed at the edge of villages to mark the boundary and to scare away demons.

 

One thing we noticed was that the Koreans love their smart phones.  Whenever we rode the subway, we were surrounded by people on their devices.  They even show a public announcement video within the subway car of the proper etiquette of cell phones...like not walking and watching your screen or not texting while standing in the subway car so that you can't hold on to the rails.

 

We also noticed a lot of neon at night.  Most stores had a neon sign.

When it was time for us to leave, we ran into a little bit of trouble because Typhoon Bolaven was headed straight for us.  This picture shows all of the cancelled flights that day.  Our flight, we found out was delayed for 24 hours.  We were able to find a hotel room in Seoul and rest comfortably until our flight was sceduled to leave the next day.  On the way back into town, it was a little scary to feel the bus being pushed from side to side by the wind and to see all the downed trees,  Luckily we were safe and finally were able to fly home the next day.