Seoul Residence

... the travelogue (blog) I will be using while in South Korea. My initial contract goes through July 18, 2008, with a two week break at Christmas. I am here teaching musical theatre at the brand new Institute for Creative Arts in Seoul. www.icakorea.co.kr

... . Although Carl had the Korean all ready to go the concierge at the drop off hotel spoke very good English and knew where the Residence was. He chased (literally) down a cab for us and even gave the driver instructions as he had no English to work with. A ...

... that fall right below your knees.  So in the one place where my normal wardrobe would blend in perfectly, I'm stuck in Seoul wearing North Face fleeces and hiking shoes, with no room to take more clothes.  The injustice of it ...

... the second treat to look out for just after we had eaten lunch at a little underground (there is lots of building underground in Seoul) cafe (12000won for fantastic pork dumplings and a noodle soup which was more than enough to fill all of us). Better get ...

... very wisely. Originally built in 1405, Chandeokgung (gung = palace) was initially built as a second palace to Seoul’s primary royal residence, but when the Japanese destroyed both, Chandeok’s rebuild became the primary palace until 1896.  ...

... some place names and food on menus.  Here’s hoping, right? But first is a visit to Gyeongbukung palace, the main residence of the Joseon dynasty.  It also is probably the most renovated palace in town and was closed on Tuesday, so this is ...

... (added during a 1908 renovation).  After looking at the Council Hall (not far from the Throne Hall), I saw the King's Residence (Huijeong-dang) -- where the king lived and worked -- and the Queen's Residence (Daejo-jeon) behind it. The best ...

... (built in 1395 this is the first and official residence of the Joseon Royal Family... breathtaking), Changdeokgung Palace (an 'alternate residence' for the royal family... also amazingly beautiful), War Memorial of Korea (overwhelming, sad, and so very ...

... received.  The main outer gate Gwanghuamun (south wall), throne hall Geunjeong-jeon, council hall Sajeong-jeon and king's residence Gangnyeong-jeon were designed and built along a north-south axis.  The locations of these buildings reflect the ...

... sausages on skewers and some sweet breads kind of like dough nuts, yum yum yum. Back on the buses and off to see the Presidents' residence. Then on to another few palaces, all good too. From here we went to see the 2 main museums in Seoul, the Seoul ...

... zone) - more on this and Korea's curious relationship with its northerly namesake later. A trip round the former royal residence, with its 15th century origins, makes for an informative historical and architectural trip. The Olympic Park, used for the ...

... the locals are burying a bomb but it ends up being a Kim Chi pot with fermenting cabbage in it?) We looked at the Imperial Residence (at least I think that's what it was) and the City Hall (which was very similar), saw a medieval re-enactment and ate ...

... line is for the important buildings and where the king lived would be the highest point (if the palace was a pyramid, the king's residence would be at the apex and as it decends from the apex, the importance of the buildings would decline, is what I ...

... place. · Continue to the famous Walker Hill Casino, where you can try your luck. · Drive pass Blue House - the presidential residence of Korea. · Then visit Kyongbok Palace which was built in 1394, the main palace by the first King of Yi Dynasty. ...

On our last day in Korea, we had lunch with relatives on my dad's side of the family.  My dad was one of 7 kids and his father was 1 of 4, so I've got about a billion aunts, uncles, and cousins.  There were 25 people at lunch, but I only ...

... ; was horrified about this and couldn't understand why they would be locked away)            -the Emperors residence was the only one without dragons on it as they believed that             ...

We were brought to see several highlights within Seoul this day. After breakfast we were driven to the Presidential Palace. Upon reaching near the palace grounds, we had to alight and walk up to the palace entrance and we can only see the palace from ...