Busan Weekend

Busan is on the southern tip of Korea on the coast, so many things are sea-related.
We came to check it out the weekend of June 21st. Here we are at Busan Station. ☺

After checking into our guesthouse, we had dinner and walked to the Seaside area of Gwangalli. 

The views of  Gwangalli bridge looking towards Hyundae beach were dazzling!

As we walked the long seaside area we saw an outdoor workout area by the area apartments;
these are very popular with Koreans of all ages and are even busy at night. ☺. 

The next morning we took a harbor cruise from the Hyundae beach area. Here you can see the beach with people and umbrellas in the background.  This is the most famous beach in Korea and home to many 5-star hotels.

We cruised past hotels and apartments in the Hyundae beach area..

... and the fog lifted as we cruised along the coast by Busan.

Around the bend is a beautiful park with a scenic coastline.

The rock formations are impressive.  Here you can see some hikers at this park by the fenced walkway  in the middle.
Taking in the view.

In typical Korean style, friends picnicked and shared soju on the deck of the boat.

We cruised past some unique islets at the entrance to Busan harbor.

There are many lighthouses on the coast to warn mariners of all the rocks.

Many of the rocks from this area were formed from volcanoes long ago and are quite amazing- almost surreal-looking.

It was a relaxing little cruise.

Here's another view of the world-famous Hyundae beach, from where we docked after the cruise.
It is not a super-big beach, but it is special.

Busan is known for fresh seafood and there was lot to be seen everywhere, like these king crabs... 

The waterfront area is colorful and crowded.

We headed to the U.N. Memorial cemetery.  At the entrance, Korean Army guards were going to a ceremony... 

2,300 fallen soldiers from the Korean War are buried in The U.N. cemetary in Busan.

We happened to be there for a raising of the U.N. flag, representing 17 nations who fought in the Korean War.  The Army guard was accompanied by a military band. 

James in the U.S. section here, saying thanks.
A beautiful place, well-tended and cared for.  

There are rose bushes blooming by every grave.
The respect, care and admiration for the deceased soldiers here is quite moving. 

The Wall of Remembrance at the U.N. cemetery.
There is a second wall behind this one, also covered with names.
 They list all the people who died in the Korean war: 34,000 were from the U.S.
The list just goes on and on.
It is a beautiful  tribute, with fountains all around.  The soldiers are deeply appreciated here.

We also took in Busan museum which has some good interactive displays,
 like this Korean village under the kids.
We learned about how Busan was basically a big refugee camp during the Korean war,
because it was the only area that never fell to the North Koreans. 

We finished up with a shopping trip to the fabulous Shinsegae,
"The World's Biggest Department Store".

It also has an enormous food hall in the basement with all kinds of vendors..
we had sushi, chicken, pizza, and cupcakes, the choices were endless! 

Busan is a dazzling place!

Seoul Weekend

We arrived via KTX on Friday June 14, had dinner in Insa-dong (an arty neighborhood with lots of cafes),
and did the Seoul city bus tour on Saturday.
Here we are getting ready for the tour and drinking our morning lattes by a main road.  See the statue behind us?

Here's another view- he's Admiral Yi Sun Shen.
Behind him is a large statue of King Sejeon, who ruled in the 1400's and invented the Korean alphabet and the rain gauge.
And behind him is the entrance to the royal palace of the Joseon dynasty (more on that later). 

Here's another view of Admiral Yi Sun Shen, a very famous figure in Korean history,
 who fought off several Japanese invasions in the 1500's.
 He was a naval genius also known for his exemplary conduct.  

The tour bus took us along Cheonggyecheon stream. This is a five-mile long stream with parks on its banks,
below street level that runs through the center of Seoul. There are 20 bridges that cross it and various mosaics etc. on some of the walls.  A truly lovely and peaceful place.

Our bus took us past several palaces from the Joseon Dynasty (1400- 1910 AD), like this one...

.... and this one... We didn't stop at these although they were impressive..

...but we did stop at the royal Joseon dynasty palace, Gyeongbok, built in 1392 to house the kings and queens of Korea.
They lived here from 1392-1910.
The entry gate here is the same one seen from afar in my second photo.
Here is the changing of the royal guards.

The ceremony includes the passing of a baton.

Guards changed and now exiting, with swords in hand.

.. on they go into the palace grounds, and we followed.

Here is the view of another gate/building once you enter the grounds.

.. and turning around to look towards the entry gate from inside the palace grounds.  A cool view of old and new architecture!

The palace has an excellent museum with lots of royal art and artifacts from the Joseon dynasty.
This winged tiger banner was one of my favorites. 

I also liked this Korean dragon vase.

We were captivated by the Haetae statues.  These are stone dog-like creatures which were believed to provide protection from fire and evil persons. They are also a symbol of Seoul. 

.. More ceramic roof ornament creatures, guardians against fire.
Protection from fire was extremely important as the houses and palaces are all made of wood and heated via under-floor flues. 

Here's a rooftop guardian in action.  Notice the CCTV camera under the eave, providing a different kind of protection. ☺

The royal palace grounds cover several acres.
On the left is the perimeter wall as it stretches back towards several gates and buildings. 

The palace grounds have dozens of buildings.  They were offices or housing for the royalty and their servants and soldiers.
Notice the fire extinguisher outside--
Fire is still a concern with these wooden structures and each building also has a lightning rod on it.
Many of the original wooden buildings were burned during Japanese occupations so some are replicas.

Gyeongbok palace is a relaxing place to walk and see many interesting views of the gates and grounds. 

Here's a stone lion guarding the throne room building.

Inside the throne room- the royal throne and original screen painting with sun, moon, and five mountains.

Here's Marly posing by the replica. ☺

Here is a Haetae outside the main gate, guarding the entrance.  They are a beloved tradition.
As the royal palace guard for hundreds of year, this one is quite famous and his face is used as a logo of Seoul.

After all that walking, we stopped at a bakery which I think rivaled the ones in Paris... lots of tasty pastries.

Back on the bus, we rode past the impressive Korean War Memorial and museum.
This is a place we'll have to stop and visit one day when we have more time. 

..we rode through the famous Itaewon neighborhood with lots of shopping and restaurants for foreigners,
 before stopping at Seoul Tower. This is on top of a mountain in the center of Seoul (had to angle it in this photo to fit more!)

The 360 degree views from the top were incredible. 

We were there as the sun started to set and the city was beautiful!

Seoul tower is home to some lock displays; a fence and a couple of "trees" covered completely in locks and items
that people have written love notes on- like the bridge in Paris. ♥

It was fun to be up by Seoul tower as the city lights started to come on.

Back to the bus and had dinner in Insa-dong again, before we took the Metro back to the hotel.
Seoul's subway system is easy to use and very clean.
It seems there's always a friendly Korean ready to help if needed, too. ☺

We spent Sunday cheering Marly on in her skate competition at Mokdong Ice Rink.
She's getting ready to perform here.

The place was hectic with about 200 skaters and parents there.  The competition  went on all afternoon.

Marly did great and won first place in her division!  A 2010 Olympic silver medalist, Shin Baek, presented the medals.

Happy girl with her medal.  We enjoy watching her skate. ♥

Mar and her friend Angela both won first-place medals. ☺

We had a great time in Seoul- wish we could have stayed longer!