Seoul 8
Started off by going to the last palace from my combination ticket; Deoksugung. It might be my favourite yet (basically meaning how much I like the temples is backwards related to the order I visited them in). Before I dipped in, I found a cheeeeeaaapp kimbap restaurant. only 2000 won for two rolls of kimbap? What is this, 2008? 5000 won for mandu soup with 8 big mandus in it and random pieces of beef in the broth? omg! I ate there before AND after the palace.
The palace was cool because it was more modern than the others. Inside the buildings that look like all the other palace's buildings, but inside they have western touches, including very flowery chandeliers. Plus there was finally, FINALLY a building where you could WALK IN and SEE THE THRONE and all the details around it. There were no PICTURES allowed in that room, but at least it existed. There's also a very western building and fountain that houses an art museum, and another similar building under some kind of renovation.
Speaking of art museums:
I understand when museums don't let you take flash pictures; it's for the good of the art.
I kinda understand when museums don't let you take ANY pictures. They want you to bring your friends not just show them your pics, I guess.
I definitely understand when museums don't let you take pictures AND they're selling post cards with their famous art on them. That's business sense.
This museum had no cameras allowed, and the gift shop had NOT A SINGLE ITEM relating to the pictures on display in the museum. Instead it had, like, Mona Lisa post cards.
Then again, free museum inside a palace, so whatever.
My plan for after was going to Seoul Tower, but by the time I left the palace it was dark, gloomy, pollution-hazy. *sighs*. So I went to my back up plans on my phone. I ended up going to COEX mall, which i didn't care if I made it to, but you know. Unfortunately, I discover that the mall is heavily under refurbishing and ALMOST none of it is open. There's less stores open than north gate. Maybe less than the NB mall. Brutal. On the plus side I got a lot of reading done on the subway.
The palace was cool because it was more modern than the others. Inside the buildings that look like all the other palace's buildings, but inside they have western touches, including very flowery chandeliers. Plus there was finally, FINALLY a building where you could WALK IN and SEE THE THRONE and all the details around it. There were no PICTURES allowed in that room, but at least it existed. There's also a very western building and fountain that houses an art museum, and another similar building under some kind of renovation.
Speaking of art museums:
I understand when museums don't let you take flash pictures; it's for the good of the art.
I kinda understand when museums don't let you take ANY pictures. They want you to bring your friends not just show them your pics, I guess.
I definitely understand when museums don't let you take pictures AND they're selling post cards with their famous art on them. That's business sense.
This museum had no cameras allowed, and the gift shop had NOT A SINGLE ITEM relating to the pictures on display in the museum. Instead it had, like, Mona Lisa post cards.
Then again, free museum inside a palace, so whatever.
My plan for after was going to Seoul Tower, but by the time I left the palace it was dark, gloomy, pollution-hazy. *sighs*. So I went to my back up plans on my phone. I ended up going to COEX mall, which i didn't care if I made it to, but you know. Unfortunately, I discover that the mall is heavily under refurbishing and ALMOST none of it is open. There's less stores open than north gate. Maybe less than the NB mall. Brutal. On the plus side I got a lot of reading done on the subway.