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| Welcome! Having returned from the DMZ I had a quick lunch and made my way to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It's hard to get an unobstructed view of the Gwanghwamun gate. It is the main and largest gate of the Palace |
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| The Palace was first constructed in 1395 but was destroyed by fire, left in ruin for 3 centuries then reconstructed and destroyed again by the Empire of Japan. Since then, the walled palace complex has been gradually restored back to its original form |
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| This chap is re-enacting the Royal Guards |
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| The Palace was built by King Taejo, the first king and the founder of the Joseon Dynasty |
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| Part of the Changing of the Guard ceremony |
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| Once inside there are several inner gateways with large courtyards. Space was not an issue! |
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| It reminded me a little of the Forbidden City in Beijing |
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| Classic design |
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| The final gateway leading to Geunjeongjeon, the Throne Hall |
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| This is Geunjeongjeon, the Throne Hall. the king formally granted audiences to his officials, gave declarations of national importance, and greeted foreign envoys and ambassadors |
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| You can't go inside the buildings much in the Palace but you can look. This a peek inside one of them |
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| Gangnyeongjeon, the King's Quarters, where he lived and did all those things that us ordinary folk do |
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| It has taken years to restore the Palace and even now a little scaffolding can be seen |
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| Simple, but lovely door |
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| I liked the soft orange. More delicate than the bright red of many temples in China |
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| Lots of rectangles! |
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| The late afternoon sun always helps the photographer |
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| Gyotaejeon, the Queen's Quarters. They didn't live together then.... |
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| Local girls who whose job it was seemed to be to pose for people like me! |
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| A corner |
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| Window view |
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| I turned a corner and this lovely surprise took my breath away. It is Gyeonghoeru, the Royal Banquet Hall |
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| Suddenly the air was full of the rhythm of drums |
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| Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, is a hall that was used to hold important and special state banquets |
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| Like many buildings it was burned down during the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592. The present building was constructed in 1867 (the 4th year of the reign of King Gojong) |
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| The lake is artificial |
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| The women didn't just play the drums with great skill but they danced too |
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| To add to the enjoyment I was also treated to beautiful Korean singing by the man on the boat with the fan. It sounded like Opera. A magic moment in a magic place |
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| Yours truly, the photographer |
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| Pagodas and long shadows |
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| Away from the main buildings of the Palace were some others that looked like they might have been residences of perhaps the Royal Guard or other personnel that served the Palace. This beautiful gate led to those buildings |
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| Sunset arriving |
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| Almost at the end of the day but there was one more beautiful surprise, Hwangwonjeong |
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| Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, is a small, two-storey hexagonal pavilion built around 1873 by the order of King Gojong |
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| The bridge is called Chwihyanggyo. The name Hyangwonjeong loosely translates as "Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance," while Chwihyanggyo translates as "Bridge Intoxicated with Fragrance |
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| I'm now leaving the Palace and night is falling |
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| The gate is beautifully illuminated. It was difficult to get the whole gate into the picture because of the road and traffic immediately behind me |
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| Fabulous roof |
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| Next time I'll post photos I took as I walked around parts of Seoul. Thanks for coming! |
