Nic Trips

Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁) is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Its is located in Seoul, not very far to the east of Gyeongbokgung. It is sometimes called the "East Palace". This palace in particular is most famous for its gardens and the way the buildings seem to come out of the landscape, being part of the environment around them. Picture above is the main gate of the palace, Donhwamun (돈화문). It is the largest of all the palace gates. It was burnt down in 1592 with the Japanese invasion and restored in 1608. Behind the main ground of the palace is the Huwon (후원), the rear garden. It is 78 acres, and home to over a hundred different species of trees, some of which are believe to be over 300 years old. Part of the garden was forbidden to any other officials or visitors without the King's permission. This area was called the Geumwon (금원), the "forbidden garden", or more commonly today, Biwon (비원) "secret gard...

One of the great spots in Seoul to learn a lot about Korean history is the War Memorial ( 전쟁기념관) . The building was opened to the public in 1994 and includes a large outdoor exhibition area which is home to many statues and monuments. Pictured above is the Memorial Hall building. To the right of the building, you can see Namsan mountain and N Seoul Tower. The tall statue directly in front of the courtyard is the Korean War Monument. On either side there are statues of soldiers. Beyond these statues are placques to commemorate all of the 21 countries that assisted South Korea during the war. Next to the car entrance to the memorial is the Statue of Brothers (pictured above). It depicts two brothers (from opposing sides) meeting on the battlefield. On the left, the older brother is a South Korean soldier. On the right, the younger brother is fighting for North Korea. The two are meeting over the crack that has torn the country apart and embracing to express "reconciliat...

Namsan Mountain is located pretty much in the center of Seoul. It's a small peak, at only 262 meters (860 feet) high, but atop it sits Seoul Tower: a prime spot from which to view the landscape of the beautiful, capital city of South Korea. To get to the tower itself, you can choose to take a cable car or hike one of the few trails that lead to its peak. I have never done the hike, though I'm sure it's enjoyable and have heard it doesn't take very long. The cable car however, is cheap and quick (depending on what time of day you go so you miss the lines). Seoul Tower (sometimes called Namsan Tower) is 236 meters (774 feet) tall, and is the highest point in the city - hence the reason it is the best spot from which to view the city. It was built in 1971 and was actually Korea's first general radio wave tower. The tower has an observatory deck, however it costs money to go up and the view from the top of the mountain is plenty good enough to enjoy the s...

This was my second time to Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), or Gyeongbok Palace. It's one of the top tourist sites in Seoul, and was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. As for almost all the temples and palaces in Korea, Gyeongbokgung was also deliberately destroyed during the Japanese occupation from 1910-1945. It has since been fully restored. Pictured above and below is the south and main gate to the palace, called Gwanghwamun ( 광화문). The weather was gorgeous. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and we happened to arrive just as the changing of guards ceremony was happening. After passing through the 1st gate at the south side, you reach this second, inner gate (pictured below), called Heungnyemun ( 흥례문). The last gate before reaching the throne hall is the third, inner gate, called Geunjeongmun (근정문). Finally, inside the 3 gates and a giant courtyard, is the throne hall, called Geunjeongjeon ( 근정전). The rest of the palace grounds are covered ...

Before King Sejong invented Hangul ( 한글 ), introduced to the public in 1446, only the highest class members in Korea were literate. This is because the only written form known in the time period were Chinese characters that had been adopted and modified to fit the Korean language. The goal of Hangul became to make it possible for Koreans from all classes or backgrounds to be able to read and write, and to create a cultural identity for the country with a unique script. As an invented writing system, it is unlike other alphabets in that the letters are actually phonetically symbolic of the shape our mouth makes in order to produce the sound they represent. As complicated as it may look or sound, it is actually incredibly easy to learn! According to wikipedia, "Persons previously unfamiliar with Hangul can typically pronounce Korean script accurately after only a few hours of study." Although Korean LOOKS like is is made up of thousands of characters that have to b...

My dad came to Korea to visit me! He arrived late at night on a Thursday and stayed until Sunday morning the following week, so we had a lot of time to do a lot of sight-seeing! The first weekend, we spent all day Friday and Saturday in Seoul. Our first stop on Friday morning was city hall. Between there and Gyeongbokgung Palace (one of the most popular tourist destinations of Seoul) there are tons of things to see! In addition to the many museums throughout the area, is Deoksugung Palace, Cheong Gye Cheon (the man-made stream), and the famous statues pictured below! This is a statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin ( 이순신 ). He was a commander of the Korean navy in the late 1500s. He is famous for his many outnumbered victories in in Imjin war against Japan. According to wikipedia... "Military historians have placed General Yi Sun-Sin on par with Admiral Horatio Nelson as arguably the greatest naval commander in history for his undefeated record against seemingly insurmountable od...