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.

Being A Joseon Dynasty's Guard....

Before we left, we got something else to do. We signed up for a chance to try out passing an examination to be a Joseon guard. 

As it turned out, well..I was surrounded by high school students who were more than eager to try this one out. I was beside myself...:) since...not many adults ( as expected!!!) were into this kind of stuff. 

But..that didn't hamper us from 'enjoying' this act of valor:)* 

Archery was one of the examinations we got to master. 

After a 1.5 hour long exam, we got a photo session with the guards who helped us get through the *supposedly* rigorous test we'd ever been into. 

And last ..but surely not least...a picture with our group's chief of guards. Oh, my friend, Ismail, managed to get a dip of lucky present since he managed to pull it off during an archery session. Bravo, dude.

Spring @ Gyeongbokgung (part 3)

#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.
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March 30, 2014

We're back: Pak Ryan, me, and Ismail. Thank to Mr. Ryan who informed us about the ceremony @ Gyeongbokgung. 

Ismail: the adventurous guy. (ㅋㅋㅋ). 

Mr. Ryan who speaks Indonesian quite fluently. His works involved with Korean historical artifact and I was more than happy to have him as a friend as well as an avid guide who kept telling us what the museum had in store for its visitors. 

Hmm..I tried to remember what those were, but one thing for sure..they are dolls inside the Jagyeokru or water clock!! Yes, that's what I learned. During Joseon dynasty ..well ..who would've known that timekeeping was an important factor of daily life. So, by using clock (water clock) that strikes itself...was one of the way government (king) ruled its people. 

Water clocks worked as the liquid flow through layers of layers in a precise manner intricately prepared by its maker, of course. I think this one was made during King Sejong (15th Century).  

When the assigned time struck the designated time..the doll would strike the drum which actually made sound to tell what time it was. Pretty impressive, indeed. 

In short, this water-clock is deemed to be one of the influential inventions in Korean history.  

Jabsang: roof figurines:) or roof-tile decorative creatures adorned the tiles at palaces or royal palaces in Korea. These ones are the ones stored in the museum. 

This is a dragon statue ...said to be found (dug out of) inside the lake near Gyeonghoeru (경회루) pavilion.  

Now...moving on to an experience of becoming a Joseon guard. #more on this on my next entry.

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.
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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...

The National Palace Museum of Korea

...what museum was it?

It was The National Palace Museum of Korea which is located just at the left side of the Gyeongbokgung Palace.  Or, if we arrive from exit number 5 from the subway station, the museum is the first building that would greet us.
So, what was so interesting about this museum?  A LOT!
I think a lot is a relative term, but I meant it. I did not expect to see such a rare collection of Joseon Dynasty in one place like this one. And what's more: It's all FREE. Yes, It is so unbelievable. How could such a majestic museum provides free admission to all visitors. Well, I bet it has quite a lot of support from the government, I suppose.
OK, enough said.
Back to the museum...
Since it was so cold outside, so I decided to take my family to go inside the museum to get ourselves warmed up a bit before continuing our tour....

The first thing that caught my attention was the huuuge painting of the whole area of the former Gyeongbokgung in its glory days. It was absolutely huge.
Then...as I was walking on the first floor...something on the underground floor captured my attention. It was two classic cars being displayed...I loved them.

I like its rear-end:)













I think I like its silvery red-brick color.

I like its horn and its protruding headlights.

I felt like watching the car on TITANIC where Rose and ......(see the point? I should've learned about the history but then...some MOVIE came to my mind:) oh, swell..







But...hey..that did not stop me from learning what kind of cars being displayed there...

I learned that they were the vehicles used by the Empress Sunjeong. They were called limousine back then. Made by UK's Daimler in 1914 (?). 7 seats, 4 cylinders, 20 horsepower engine, lacquered wood for its body; considered to be oldest surviving car in Korea.This car is also useful for the study of Korean automobile under  the Japanese imperialism.

In fact, it is also considered to be one of the three remaining models in the world. Beat that!

Gyeongbokgung Palacee: Winter 2012

I’ve been here (let’s see....countless times), but that was the first time that I took my family for a visit there. This Jeoseon dinasty heritage is one of the must-visit places for anyone visiting Seoul. We come from Jogjakarta, one of the few remaining Sultanates within the country. So, I pretty much know what gung or palace means for its people. But, this time...no one lives in Gyeongbokgung, for the Jeoseon dynasty has reached its final years during the reign of Japanese occupation in Korea.

Being there is like being zapped into a traditionally best kept secrets that Seoul has; simply because this magnificent palace complex is located right in the heart of the city, in the Gwanghwamun area, where major business companies as well as...the Blue House, the presidential palace, is located. This means...that visiting this place is a unique experience in itself.

Should you go there, make sure that around 1 pm you have arrived there, for we can see the daily royal ceremony of the change of guards. Guards guarding the palace are changed on half-day basis (if I am not mistaken). So, this is one of the major attractions that Gyeongbokgung has to offer for its visitors.

We were lucky to be able to see it live. Most of all, visitors are permitted to take pictures with the seemingly-not-to-be-distracted guards....who just let anyone take their pictures with them. A bit funny, actually. But, this is what attracts most of people to go there and take a look.

Then....^^we could see the huge complex of the palace where the throne and its amenities are laid there intact. We could see how life must have been or could have been back then in the Jeoseon Dynasty.
* When we visited, it was a bit cold...and windy since it was still Winter^^ but....this amplified the experiences we had there.