Seoul Sights

My friend Diana joined me in Korea this week and we have been having lots of fun sightseeing, shopping and eating! Serendipitously this week the 5th annual Seoul Festival is going on so we have been pleasantly surprised to catch unexpected events. This festival welcomes summer with a variety of events around the city including traditional performances, concerts, food fairs, fashion shows, tea ceremonies and parades. And it's all free!

Here are some pics of King Jongjo's Royal procession at Changdeokgung Palace:

Changdeokgung Palace was originally built in 1405 as a secondary palace and became the primary palace in 1896. Like all Joseon palaces, it has a mountain behind it and a small stream in front for good feng shui!

Walking around the palace:


Taking in some museum time at the National Museum of Korea:


My parents treated us to a traditional Korean dance/musical performance at the Korea House. The show included court dances, pansori (Korean opera), fan dance, a spiritual shamanist dance, female drummers and samullori (traditional farmers' dance). Here is a shot of us with some of the troupe members after the show:


Getting in our workout by hiking up the hundreds of steps to the Seoul Tower:

View from mid-way