So after Mass J and I met up with A, D, and M at a lovely place called The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. They had a great Americano! We really enjoyed a post-Mass breakfast and coffee. Hehehe. Then we all went to the Changdeokgung Palace. It's near the other palace that we went to - Gyeongbokgung.
So the history of the Changdeokgung Palace is that it was constructed in 1405 and it was the secondary palace of Gyeongbokgung, which was the main palace. All of the buildings were destroyed by fire during the Japenese invasion in 1592, but the palace was restored in 1610 and served as the main palace until Geyongbokgung was reconstructed in 1867.
So this is the entrance to the palace that we went thru. It has a lot of entrances, and the grounds are extensive.
My before pic... It was kind of a dreary day - and just slightly rainy.
Another view of the entrance, but from the other side!! Hehehe, 3000 won to get in, same as the other palace.
M, D, A, and J - I tend to lag behind and this was amusing me. J and I had to lug our stuff around all day since we had come in the night before. I also had a 'Wizard of Oz' thought when walking behind them... not sure who would be who, but J and I agreed that I'd be the Wicked Witch of the West cuz I can do her voice. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"
The flowers!! I love spring here!!
Another entrance - apparently this is representative of Korean architecture.
The throne room.
So pretty!
It was a little muddy.
So cool.
I love this tree!
The flowers are so pretty!!
My favorite pic of me from the day - the dress is AWESOME, btw. Though there's just a bit more I need to do before I can give you a total full-body pic of me in it (some tummy rolls that need to shrink still... but they are smaller - woot).
A, D, and J looking all kinds of cute. That's right, we all got dressed up for this little trip. Well, except for M, who as you know, does not like pictures.
More of the palace
More of the grounds.
I like this stairway. I think it's on the way to the secret garden.
So pretty.
And the weeping willow flowers!! They are sooo pretty. I want this tree to come home with me!!!
The grounds - I love how colorful it could be.
The boat and the lake. I love the muted colors. This is probably one of my favorite pix from the day... I've got another that was a landscape pic... another that would be good for framing. :)
Candid of J, A, and D. Love it.
So they brought this pagoda back from China... cuz why not.
The greenhouse :)
Flowers!!! If I ever decide to get a tat for my experience here, I'll probably get one this :)
Bonzai trees!!!
Love the tiny trees!!!
On our way out of the palace. Then we went for lunch.
Turns out that we had such a full day that I'm thinking this may be a 3-parter. The palace was beautiful, the grounds were amazing, the company was entertaining, and this was all before lunch!! So another fantastic day in Seoul and there was a LOT of walking. I love that no matter what we do, there's a ton of walking involved. I'm gonna be SO healthy by the time I get out of here. :) Stay tuned for the next post to finish out our busy Sunday!
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