Solo trip to National Palace Museum/ Gyeongbukgong Palace/ National Folk Museum/ Samcheongdong

September 24, 2014

Solo trip to National Palace Museum/ Gyeongbukgong Palace/ National Folk Museum/ Samcheongdong

So last weekend, I decided that I should have a look at some of the tourist attractions in Seoul (after one month of being here). As I have always been intrigued by history of different countries, I was excited to go to Gyeongbukgong!

Upon exiting Gyeongbukgong Station Exit 5, the National Palace of Museum was on my left and Gyengbukgong was on my right. Decided to visit the museum to avoid the terrible summer heat!

Some of the displays in the museum giving an overview of antiques and treasures found within Gyeongbukgong palace grounds.

Replica of the royal library

Ceiling and wall design of the emperor's shrine

Food for the servants

Food for the scholars, royal members

Food for the king (looks great!)

Clothes worn by crown prince and princesses during important ceremonies

Burial ground for king's placenta (found this super amusing)

Cars that the late Joseon Dynasty royalties travelled in.

By the time I finish roaming around the museum, it was 3pm and I was just in time for the change of guard ceremony! Super excited like a legit tourist when I these men in costumes at Gwanghwamun!

After the ceremony I bought my combination ticket for the 4 main palaces (10,000krw)! This ticket is valid for a month, so I can visit them slowly:)

Not forgetting to use my selfie stick! But I can't multitask for nuts…not looking at the camera:P

I was so lucky to catch the free English tour around the palace once I entered the ticket barrier! Otherwise, it would have been boring and meaningless to see these buildings over and over again in this area!

The 3 lanes in the middle are separated by height and status. The centre lane, which is the highest is for the Emperor. The right lane, assumed to be same height as the left, is actually higher. It signifies the rising sun, and is walked on by the crown prince or royalties. The leftmost lane is walked on by the officials.

The small pillars seen in this picture represent the ranking position of each official during assembly. High ranking officials get shelter to protect from the rain, while lower ranked ones at the back do not get this privilege.

There is a picture of the dragon on the ceiling of the emperor's shrine. It signifies power and protects the emperor.

Nets covering the exterior of the buildings are to prevent birds from nesting.

This pavilion is an important location to host important guests and the lake surrounding lowers the temperature of the pavilion indoors. The three doors on the left are entrances for people of different status. The first, and biggest one, is for the emperor.

Mini statues at the edge of the rooftops are for protection. The more number of statues, the more important the building.

The exact building were Hangeul was created!

Emperor's resting chamber

The doors hanging above head serve the purpose of cooling and guiding wind in during summer.

Selfie again while resting outside one of the hanoks:)

The tour group

So after a long walk around, I decided to head to National Folk Museum which was right beside Gyeongbukgong. This is by far the most interesting museum I have been to in Korea because many real life artefacts were on display:)

Traditional summer clothes

Different types of kimchi

Traditional wedding ceremony

Pharmacy

Funeral casket

DDeok for special occasions

Outdoor exhibit of old streets of Korea, felt like I was travelling back in time!

Old coffee house

Manga store

After the museum closed at 6pm, I decided to roam around Samcheong-dong. This is the second time I've been here and have explored this place more thoroughly:)