Leaving the Palace

We walked through the gates and past the men's and women's quarters to leave the Changdeokgung Palace compound. As you can see from my previous posts, this tour is quite extensive, and it's all packed in to an hour and a half. Tomorrow we are off to a new and exciting spot to visit in Seoul. Don't miss it!

Relaxing in the Secret Garden

This pavillion was used by the royal family when they were relaxing and hanging out in the Secret Garden. What a nice way that must have been to spend the day!

Juhamnu Pavillion

This lovely pavillion was used as the king's royal library. Built in the Secret Garden on the lotus pond, the pavillion was a peaceful place to ponder the heavens and the earth.

Huijeongdang and Daejojeon Halls

These are the king's (photo on the left) and queen's (photo on the right) residence halls. They were both destroyed by fire and restored in 1917 with Western influences in their bedchambers. I wasn't surprised to find out that the king was allowed to visit in the queen's residence, but the queen was not allowed to visit in the king's residence. That old double standard!

Seonjeongjeon Hall

This is the hall where the king met daily with his ministers. It is the only building in the palace complex with a blue tiled roof that symbolizes the king's administrative offices. It is a true blue in person, but it looks more like gray in my picture. As in all of the buildings at Changdeokgung, I was amazed at the intricacies in the carvings and the details of the colors. Beautiful!

Injeongjeon Hall

This hall is on the list of Korean National Treasures. Major state affairs and coronations of kings took place here. It was also called the "Throne Hall" as this was where the king sat on his throne. This hall has been restored twice, once after the Japanese invasion of 1592 (they must have destroyed everything in Seoul) and after it burned down in 1804. It's impressive.

Geumcheong yo Bridge

This small bridge takes you from the Donhwamun Gate to the palace compound. It was build in 1411, and it is the oldest bridge still being used in Seoul. I was captivated by the stone animal statues on the 4 corner pillars of the bridge. They are all supposed to have different expressions on their faces. How cute is that?

Donhwamun Gate

This gate is the largest of all the palace gates of five palaces that were built Seoul. It is so beautiful with its array of colors and designs. Only the king was allowed to use all of these colors on his buildings. It was strictly set out what colors that persons of each rank were allowed to use, all the way down to the commoners who did not use colors at all on their homes and buildings. The gate was built in 1412, but was destroyed by a Japanese invasion in 1592. It was restored in 1608. You've got to see the pictures to believe it!

Changdeokgung Palace

The Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul is so impressive that I am going to break my posts down into the separate parts of the palace. Tours of the palace are offered daily in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and English. We were amazed at the size of the English tour on a Tuesday afternoon, as you can see from the picture. Maybe it's because this palace was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 as ". . . an outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design." Don't you just love the restrooms there? You've already seen the Secret Garden that is located at the rear of the palace compound. So. . . more tomorrow.

The Secret Garden in Seoul

The "Secret Garden" in Seoul was the first spot that Krystle and I wanted to see. We had both loved the book, which I always read to my 5th and 6th grade classes and got to enjoy myself each year. The garden, called Biwon, is behind the Changdeokgun Palace in Seoul. It was called a "secret," or forbidden, garden, because no one was allowed to enter without permission of the king. It was originally a resting area for the king and his family. The Zen for heaven and earth is that the heavens are round, and the earth is square. This is represented in the Secret Garden with a square lotus pond which represents the earth, and around it are a variety of flowers, plants, and trees which represent the heavens. The tree shown is over 750 years old. The garden is kept as natural as possible and left untouched by human hands when possible. It is just the most incredibly beautiful and relaxing spot in the world.