KIMCHI LA: GYEONBOKGUNG PALACE, FOLK MUSEUM & INSADONG

After salsa dancing on Saturday, we went to Gyeonbokgung Palace on Sunday. It was incredible. The moment you get off the subway stop you walk up the stairs and literally as you turn the corner you see the palace. It was kind of odd. To the right you see tall buildings and city lights and on your left is the palace and Mount Bugaksan to its rear and Mount Namsan in the foreground. Surprisingly it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. It was quite hot (humid) outside. The cost for entry was 3,000 won, about $2.50, and included entrance to the Folk Museum., although the museum might be free. The architecture was beautiful but what I couldn't stop staring at was the painted lotus flowers and patterns on the ceiling. The colors were so vibrant and mesmerizing. I think the majority of my pictures were of the ceiling. Seeing a structure that has been present since the late 1300's was unreal. This was our first trip that made us realize we were actually living in a foreign country. The Folk Museum was great. I was able to get so many pictures of inspiration with different textures, colors and intricate embroidery. That same day it happened to be the Lotus Lantern Festival just up the street in Insadong. This was the first time we were surrounded by so many foreigners. It was so weird being around so many people who spoke English. All of the shop tenants spoke pretty good English too. Every time we tried to bust our Korean chops we just got shut down and they immediately started speaking English to us. It was definitely a tourist's destination with a long pedestrian infested street with pottery, paper & calligraphy shops, accessories, handbags and shoes galore. Not to mention, the most diverse selection of street food from silk worms, cherries, pumpkin nougat and rice cakes in every flavor possible. I'll definitely be coming back here when it comes time to shop for Christmas and B-days.