A few years back I had a long layover at Incheon airport. I decided to take a day trip to Seoul. I was on my return leg from a fishing trip in Mongolia so A day trip into the city seemed in order, rather than sitting at the airport. I started at the info desk at the airport. The lady there spoke great english and gave me information on the train and subway system..where to exchange some cash and away I went. I got a stanp in my passport and I was in! A man in the train/subway station explained to me how to buy tickets and gave me a map in english that showed my rout. The train took about 20 minutes to get into Seoul. I was struck how quiet people were on the train...very different than a train in the USA. I transferred onto the subway and in another 20 minutes or so I was walking up the steps into the city. My goal was to visit Gyeongbokgung palace. From Wikipedia: Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea. The largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon dynasty, Gyeongbokgung served as the home of Kings of the Joseon dynasty, the Kings' households, as well as the government of Joseon.
Gyeongbokgung continued to serve as the main palace of the Joseon dynasty until the premises were destroyed by fire during the Imjin War (1592–1598) and abandoned for two centuries. However, in the 19th century, all of the palace's 7,700 rooms were later restored under the leadership of Prince Regent Heungseon during the reign of King Gojong. Some 500 buildings were restored on a site of over 40 hectares.[1][2] The architectural principles of ancient Korea were incorporated into the tradition and appearance of the Joseon royal court.
In the early 20th century, much of the palace was systematically destroyed by Imperial Japan. Since then, the walled palace complex is gradually being restored to its original form. Today, the palace is arguably regarded as being the most beautiful and grandest of all five palaces. It also houses the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum within the premises of the complex.
This palace is huge. Figure at least 4 hours to explore it, though you can easily spend a day taking pictures and getting food at the tourist shop there. I must admit when I got there I thought they were shooting a movie. There was a ton of locals in traditional clothing walking about. Curiosity finally got the best of me and I finally asked the 2 ladies in the photo to the right what was going on. They explained that people rented traditional clothes to spend the day taking selfies in the palace. The Koreans love their selfies! They probably wondered why I didnt do it...oh well. I think I spent 6 hours there. The buildings look new because they are. See wiki above, but are authentically restored.
Next I went out to explore the area around the palace. There is a large boulevard and park area outside. This is a statue of a famous admiral who saved Korea in a war with Japan. Yi-Sun-sin defeated the Japanese during the Imjin war. He never lost a navel battle or ship during 13 battles. He was killed in the final battle in 1598.
The city is very modern and clean. I was also surprised at how clean it was. There seems to be 3 cops on every corner. You really feel safe there. And so many people speak at least some english, so all you single language speakers do not fear! I spied a few places to eat and found a small place that was full of cops. My rule is cops know the best, cheap and fast places to eat, and it applies here too. The owner didnt speak english but had a menu in english so all I had to do was point and eat. I spent a bit of time exploring the side streets and shops and as it got dark I headed back to the airport. BTW....dont be afraid to try fresh kim-chi, its great!
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