Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, Korea

-
Our recent trip to Korea wasn't just devoted to eating. Aside from nourishing our tummies, we also nourished our minds. It's also perfect that we had three young kids with us and I believe taking them to places such as this will allow them to have a better idea of Korea's history and to see what life was back then. After all, traveling should also be educational.

gyeongbokgung 1
True, I'm the type of traveler who wants to have a good mix of cultural immersion while enjoy the fun cosmopolitan life of a particular travel destination however most of my trips just lasts a week and with all the sights and places that we have to visit, I have to be wise and to choice the best spots instead of boring myself out by visiting them all. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the history and the culture but at some point, I feel that you see one __________ (fill this in with palace/temple/mountain/ruins), you've seen them all! There are actually a lot of palaces in Korea but our group decided to go visit the first-built which incidentally is also the biggest one called the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

gyeongbokgung 3
Constructed sometime in the 14th century, the Gyeongbokgung Palace used to be the residence of the former king and his closest family members. This was also where some palace officials hold office. The palace has withstood the test of time. Going through war which eventually had some of the buildings burned down to a reconstruction, the murder of the queen during the 1800 and a lot more trials and changes up until the 21st century.

seoul korea 9
Today, the Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the must-visit sites for tourists visiting Seoul, Korea. Getting there is so easy as there's a subway station (Gyeongbokgung) just right below it. Be ready though to walk as one building is quite far from the other. We enjoyed the long walk though as we admired the Cherry Blossom trees, a pond in the middle of the entire compound and sculptures along the way.


gyeongbokgung 2
Visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace reminded me of one of my favorite Korean series -- Jewel in the Palace. I love the intricate details which are found in each building. If only my feet/legs were not killing me that day, I would have probably stayed longer. The structure is very similar to The Forbidden City in Beijing, China where the main halls are lined up in the middle and there are smaller buildings beside it. I actually visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace a week before I went to The Forbidden City and the similarity continues to amaze me.

There's an entrance to go and explore the full vicinity of the palace. A ticket costs W3,000 (Php. 113) for adults and since there were more than 10 of us in the group, our tickets were discounted costing only W2,400 (Php. 90) each. Kids rate is half of the adult ticket rate. There are also guided tours available. Silly us, we only knew about this on our way out.

I highly recommend that you spend at least half a day enriching yourself with Korea's colorful history by visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Related post:
Seoul, Korea 101
Lovin' Myeongdong in Seoul, Korea
Yoogane: Best Chicken Galbi in Seoul, Korea 
Kimbap ♥ at Gimgane in Seoul, Korea
On Stage: Cookin' Nanta Show in Korea!
Food for the S(e)oul: Lotteria 
Hotel Skypark 1 in Myeongdong, Korea Tower of Love: N Seoul Tower
Two Two Fried Chicken in Myeongdong, Seoul

Gyeongbokgung Palace is located at 22 Sajingno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-050. To get there take the subway and exit at the Gyeongbokgung Station. You may also take bus numbers 0212, 1020, 1711, 7016, 7022. Visit www.royalpalace.go.kr for more details.

Popular posts from this blog

Franny Mommy Finds : Happy Noz Sticker Patch

-
Image
As a parent, I have one thing that I dread the most and that's when any of my kids fall sick. From the moment we detect the faintest sniffle followed by sneezes and runny nose, we know one thing is for sure -- we will be having a couple of sleepless nights. For twins, it is very common that when one falls sick, expect the other one to follow suit in just a matter of days, sometimes within hours even.  A few years ago, my twins would catch a cold and we really would struggle because they'd become very fussy and cranky at night. They're sleepy and tired from the cold but with a clogged nose, they can't really have a restful night and this means, either one of us will have to sit up and carry them all throughout the night. It came to a point wherein both kids were sick and Paul and I eventually caught the bug too. It was just so hard to care for the kids while you're not in the best condition as well. This got me researching on remedies on how we can have a good night
Read more

Bag of Beans (Charito) in Tagaytay

-
Image
I can't believe that we have been frequenting Tagaytay for more than a decade now and not once have I written about Bag of Beans ! I tried searching all over this blog and I found..nothing. To think that not a single trip to Tagaytay, back then, would ever be complete without stopping by Bag of Beans for lunch or merienda. I must have been to engrossed with their coffee and bread that I wasn't able to take photos of the place and their food thus no blog entry. They, after all, have one of the best brewed coffee in Tagaytay and the yummiest bread to go with it too. Bag of Beans has been an institution in Tagaytay. Just like us, other tourists and visitors would make sure to drop by in order to grab a bite or to take home some of their homemade goodies every time they find themselves in Tagaytay. Bag of Beans started with one branch along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Main Road across Residence Inn Zoo and it wasn't even overlooking the Taal. While they may lack in having a scenic
Read more

Misto at Seda Vertis North

-
Image
Happy Friday!  I'm not going to lie, Friday is one of my favorite days because it means, we're just a day away from the weekend! Who doesn't love the weekend, right? This is the day when I give my twins my uninterrupted attention. We would start the day with any breakfast of their choice (normally waffles for J, pancakes or peanut butter sandwich for L) followed by an hour of doing their homework and in the afternoon, we head out for their swim class! Sunday is more laid back as we would stay home and just laze around the house otherwise, we would go and visit my in laws and spend the day there.  Speaking of the weekend, I suddenly remembered one of the best weekends that we've had this year so far. This was when we had our staycation at Seda Vertis North  and the twins truly enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, they love our comfy and very spacious Corner Suite with an adjacent Deluxe Room as well as checking out the hotel's amenities and the Vertis North mall
Read more