My Day in Seoul, South Korea

Seoul, South Korea.  April 27, 2013.  After changing planes in Inchon many times over many years, I decided to break my journey to/from Bangkok to the United States, by spending a day in South Korea's modern and impressive capital.  It was an interesting day well-spent in a capital city of over 10 million people.

    Cherry blossoms were still in bloom when I visited Seoul on June 27.

   Jogyesa Temple is the center of Zen Buddhism in Korea, and is famous for being located in the heart of Seoul.

    In front of the National Folk Museum, which is located within Gyeong Bok Gung Palace, Seoul.

   Entrance to the National Folk Museum (another view).

    Korean school children beautifully dressed and all with electronic devices of one sort or another, within the National Folk Museum.

   Residential room within the Gyeong Bok Gung Palace, Seoul.

   A bedroom within the palace.

  Hall where the king held daily morning meetings with his officials, and presided over seminars on state affairs.

  Pavilion where the king threw formal banquets for foreign envoys.

Government offices located within Gyeong Bok Gung Palace, Seoul.

    The main throne hall.

 The magnificent ceiling of the throne hall.

    The main gate of the palace where the changing of the guards takes place.

   My favorite picture of the trip.  Yes, the guard is for real.

  Walking to view the Korean president’s house, I came across this group of soldier.

 The Blue House is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea.  The current president is Korea’s first female head of state

  The throne hall building of Chandeokgung Palace, Seoul.

  The throne hall.

Traditional  architecture typical of the many palace buildings.

   A modern meeting room within the Chandeokgung Palace, Seoul.

    A beautiful part of the palace.

.    In Namdaemun Market, Seoul, a shop selling traditional calligraphy brushes.

    Namdaemun Market, in the heart of Seoul, is a bustling main street with many side streets, selling everything from traditional art to modern trash from China.  The numerous food vendors were particularly enticing.

    Seoul is a modern and efficient city, with broad boulevards.  Everything is new.  Another typical Seoul street scene near Samsung station.

Typical street in the center of Seoul.

 The Koreans do what they can to beautify what is essentially a commercial city and business capital. 

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