Gyeongbokgung (part 1)

I wouldn't have visited this palace  (again), had our fellow listener named Lydia not come to visit Seoul with her sister and parents. I accompanied them to finally^^ see the inside of the palace.

ok.......I've been here countless time...but there are always new angles to see.

Like this one.

The spring and warm weather helped us enjoy the surrounding in a relaxing time.

Indescribable scenery.....

A tranquility in the middle of a city.

Spring @ Gyeongbokgung Palace (part 2)

#Pray for everyone affected by Jindo ferry incident. 
--> so, I just hope that everyone, my friends..anyone who happen to read this blog...please try to understand that IF I start posting up my pictures and all of the activities I've been doing for the past weeks (blogging that I've been doing on a daily basis for the past 4 years..), please..believe me that it DOES NOT mean that I am insensitive of what IS happening. I AM and I do. My heart goes out for them.
-------
It's the same day (March 30), 2014

The  ceremony of Joseon's guards inauguration had just started and I was more than ready to enjoy the whole procession. 

Water-colored version of the guards in charge. 

When the King arrived, all guards knelt showing respect.--right? 

hmm, not all of them--as it turned out. or I may have missed something! 

As the inauguration came to a complete order,  folk-dance and musical performance were sequentially in display. 

A quintessentially Korean percussion show: checked! 

Apsara-like percussion performers: checked!  

a panoramic view of the whole procession. 

I think this was the dance-sight-sound of the day! 

What I found interesting was the fact that even a cameraman was clad in Joseon's traditional attire, too. I assume it was meant to make it NOT so conspicuously visible to spectators that a modern symbol like camera DID exist in the midst of traditional ceremony like this. Hmm, pretty understandable:) 

The newly appointed guards were ready to leave the ground. 

now...let's go to another venue where I'd experience something else. 

This is what I like about Seoul: right in front of this palace...lies high-rises that dotted the spectrum of two different worlds, yet uniquely complementary. 

Spring @ Gyeongbokgung Palace (part 1)

#Pray for everyone affected by Jindo ferry incident. 
--> so, I just hope that everyone, my friends..anyone who happen to read this blog...please try to understand that IF I start posting up my pictures and all of the activities I've been doing for the past weeks (blogging that I've been doing on a daily basis for the past years..), please..believe me that it DOES NOT mean that I am insensitive of what IS happening. I AM and I do. My heart goes out for them.
---
It was March 30 and I was expecting to see the annual ceremony of Joseon's Royal Guards Assignment or Dispatch. Since it was early spring and the outdoor was a bit cold, so I decided to spend some time inside a museum @ Gyeongbokgung.

It's one of the antique cars used by King Sunjong. I think I made an entry about it years ago.^^ 

So, this time I only tried to capture the image in vintage so as to see it in its past glory. 

Okay, let's go out. Then..I overheard a commotion outside the museum and I was right. The ceremony was about to begin and ...not a minute too soon..I was ..sitting or standing in the midst of crowds after crowds.... 

wanting to catch a glimpse of what was happening. 

I was lucky to be able to sit in the first row so I could see the whole (well, not all) view of the ceremony as it was rolling up right in front of my camera and eyes:) 

At one end of the corners, a group of colorful Joseon's guards were marching towards the ceremonial ground.  

With the spring's clear blue sky at the backdrop, the picture couldn't be any clearer than this. I think it summed up the 'extravaganza' at that time. 

..now let the fiesta begin...