Day 5 ... morning exploring, markets, a show and kitties

Another beautiful morning ... we had agreed last night that we would head off from the apartment at about 12.30, a slower start to the morning as we planned on being out later in the night.

Ian and I however decided that we would make the most of the morning and visit two places that we absolutely love that weren't on our "group" agenda.

So, after a morning coffee, and layering up for the morning freeze ... we began walking towards Jongmyo Shrine. Having always stayed out at the Agency in Hongdae in the past and never having stayed centrally we hadn't realised how close everything was. So our walk this morning was less than 1 km from our hotel to the entrance gate. A lovely walk along a road we have never walked before.

We arrived at the shrine just as it was opening and were the second people to enter. Jongmyo Shrine is the supreme state Shrine where the spirit tablets of the deceased Kings and Queens of the Joseon Dynasty are enshrined. Built from 1394 it contains 49 spirit tablets in the main Shrine and a further 34 in the smaller Shrine. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

The grounds are beautiful as well. A lightly wooded forest, with snowfalls still on the ground. It is a very serene place and incredibly peaceful and moving.

They are currently doing renovations to the main Shrine. They are pulling up all of the paving, cleaning them and then re-laying them. Each paver and stone is numbered so that they are relaid in the correct position.

We then headed to the back of Jongmyo where a newly opened parkland allows you access to Changgyeonggung Palace. When we have visited before you have taken a walk bridge over a major road. This road has now been placed in a tunnel and a beautiful new park connects the shrine with the two closest palaces.

We love Changgyeonggung (yes I know  ... I say this a lot). It is a less frequented palace, the grounds are more extensive with forests, lakes, streams and many winding paths. There are the usual palace buildings but also a lovely Grand Greenhouse, built in 1909, filled with bonsai, ferns, camellias and bamboo.

The palace was built in 1418 and like many of the other buildings have suffered with war, fire, and occupation by the Japanese. Since 1983 it had belonged to the government and has been restored over time. Many sections of this palace remain unrestored though.

It was then time to head back to meet up with Kim and Claire. We wandered along some back streets to the coffee shop and grabbed a coffee. The kids joined us ... we told them about our morning and they filled us in on theirs (they too had walked to Jongmyo!).

We headed to the subway and caught a train to Seoul Station where we popped out to street level to walk Seoullo 7017. This was once an elevated road but when the road became too dilapidated to carry cars the city restored it and converted it to a public garden. With beautiful views it was a lovely walk ... I'm sure in spring it would be even more spectacular. 

 

We made our way towards Sungnyemun Gate ... also known as Namdaemun Gate. It is one of four gates that provided security to the city. It has been restored many times and, unlike on other trips to Korea, we were able to walk around it. They had "guards" on duty ... which always adds to the experience. 

As we headed towards Namdaemun Market we suddenly realised that it was a little quiet. I checked Google ... and the market was "closed" as it was Sunday. So we began making alternate plans but as we continued walking it quickly became evident that large parts of the market were indeed open ... so we switched back to the original plan. Even more exciting was when we came across the Hotteok cart and they were making Japchae Hotteok as well as the brown sugar and peanut version.  So we stopped, Ian joined the queue and after about 30 minutes we were chowing down on our hot snacks.

We left the kids behind to wander Namdaemun  and do whatever shopping they wanted to do. We walked to MyeongDong  ... Ian stopped for some food and I wandered on to Starbucks and some warmth.

 

We then met up with Kim and Claire and went to see Nanta. This is a non verbal show that involves drumming, acrobatics, comedy and audience participation.  For the third time over multiple trips Ian was pulled out of the audience to be a part of the show. All I was concerned about was him slipping on the vegetable debris on the stage! It was a great show ... lots of laughter and fun.

And to end our evening we stopped to visit a Cat Cafe. Here you purchase entry to the Cafe which gives you a drink of your choice ... I had a delicious hot chocolate (as did Kim), Claire had orange juice and Ian had an iced chocolate. Then you can purchase some cat snacks ... lightly warmed chicken in plastic pots ... and then you get to feed the kitties! You have unlimited time to sit and feed and pat the kitties. Absolutely wonderful for a cat lover ... sorry Ian.

And so we left the kitties to head back home. Those who wanted to grabbed a last snack from the many street vendors. We passed MyeongDong Cathedral again and all the white silk flowers were lit up as well as the Christmas lights. A lovely way to end a fantastic day.