Seoul Day 4 - Learning political history in Sarangchae at Cheongwadae President Museum

Continuing the morning tour, we headed on to Sarangchae at Cheongwadae. Here, you can learn so much about Korea’s modern history. With various exhibitions that showcase Korea’s past presidents and their corresponding political policies, this is the place to visit for all you folks who love to keep up with governments.

facade of Sarangchae
courtesy of http://www.english.president.go.kr 

Seoul Day 4 - Spotting high ranking officials at Cheongwadae (Blue House)

After my morning stroll within the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds, I headed on straight to Cheongwadae. Commonly referred to as the Blue House, this structure has over 150,000 traditional Korean blue roof tiles. Known for their regal color and intense durability, these tiles will last for over 100 years without fading or cracking. Simply amazing!

view of Cheongwadae at the foot of Mt. Bugaksan

Seoul Day 4 - Culture seeking at Gyeongbokgung Palace (Part 2)

The next area we went to was the Sajeongjeon. It was here where the king held early morning meetings to manage routine state affairs. Early is not an understatement! These meetings started at 3:00am in the morning! Imagine getting up at that hour to discuss political matters!

Next stop was the king’s living quarters, the Gangnyeongjeon. The structure was divided into 9 sections with the center being the king’s room. It is here where the king read books, rested, and attended to state affairs in private. 

at the front of Gangnyeongjeon

Seoul Day 4 - Culture seeking at Gyeongbokgung Palace (Part 1)

It was a fine morning during my fourth day at Seoul. Finally, the sun decided to shine bright today after hiding in the clouds for the past days! I really appreciated this blessing of good weather since this was the day designated for my Gyeongbokgung Palace tour.

a nice view of the main throne hall amidst the mountainous backdrop

Seoul Day 3 – Discovering history at Changdeokgung Palace

The morning of my third day here at Seoul was reserved for a tour of the Changdeokgung Palace. As I wanted to get to know more about Korea’s history and culture, I signed-up for a walking tour of the place.  The registration was done online through this site: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr prior to my visit. Just fill out a form and you will get a confirmation e-mail afterwards. The best thing about this service is that it is absolutely free!

a close encounter with the throne hall