Show me some Seoul! - Our Seoul bus tour

On Saturday Brian, Andrea (coworker of Brian's) and I took a bus tour of Seoul. Some of the highlights are as follows.

We went to a temple, similar to Bongeunsa (pictures of lanterns and big Buddha statue) but much smaller in size. Inside the main temple there are three Buddhas to represent past, present and future. 

Our next stop was Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It was constructed in 1395, destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion of 1592, reconstructed in 1868, dismantled during the Japanese occupation in 1911 and began renovations to its original state in 1990. 

One of the features of Gyeongbokgung is the changing of the guard ceremony. I thought it would be a simple procedure but, I was wrong. There are 27 guards for the day shift and 27 for the night shift. The ceremony takes about 30 minutes. 

Here is a picture of me at the changing of the guard ceremony. The day shift guards have their backs towards me, facing the oncoming night shift guards. 

Brian is standing in front of Gyeronghoeru, a two story pavilion used for royal banquets and parties. Our tour guide said this is where the king would have parties with his many concubines.

Think its good to be the king? Think again. The average life span of the kings was 42. There was not a lot of furniture kept in quarters commonly used by the king because the furniture/objects would provide potential hiding places for assassins. The king had nine bedrooms and only his main assistant would know which one he would sleep in on any given night, also to protect him from assassins. 

Brian was born in the year of the Tiger. Sorry Brian, you tiger now! According to information on the Tiger, he is a rebel, colorful, unpredictable, impatient and always looking for action.

I am a sheep; gentle mannered, on the shy side, will not tolerate too much discipline and very offended if criticized. Would you like to know what year you were born in and or info on your sign?  Here is one site I found. However, I am pretty sure there is a better, more official site to be found. www.rainfall.com/horoscop/chinese.htm

For more information on Gyeongbokgung please visit the following site: www.royalpalace.go.kr/html/eng/data/data_01.jsp?dep1=2

After we left the palace we went to a street market. The market is full of merchandise and food shops. 

It is pretty fascinating to think that all of the little shops and stands stay in business. There are so many shops, some that appear to be selling the same exact merchandise as another. This is still a mystery to me.

After our tour we had dinner at a restaurant that had performers showcasing various traditional Korean music. 

At the end of their performances we were able to join them on stage for some Neil Diamond karaoke. Just kidding. We were allowed on stage for a picture. 

The architecture in Seoul is creative and modern. 

I am not sure what businesses are in this building but, our tour guide informed us that the top floor (doughnut shape) is a restaurant with great views. However, a can of coke is roughly $10 USD. We decided to pass on a visit to the top.

This is a building I saw when walking around the city. Therefore, I have no information on it, other that it looked cool. 

Brian is standing in a building that has been awarded best in its class, world wide by three different organizations. Where is Brian?

Brian is in South Korea's Incheon International Airport. Voted international airport of the year by CAPA in 2006, The World's Best Airport Award by OAG in 2007 and Best Airport Worldwide by ACI in 2008. I have no idea what criteria is consider for such awards but, it is the best airport I have been in as far as cleanliness, service and overall organization. Would you like to see information or take a virtual tour? Please visit the following website: www.airport.kr/eng/airport