Kings and Queens

And off to the Palace we went.

On Saturday, a beautiful, much needed rainy day, Phillip and I hopped on the train and down to Seoul we went. On the outskirts of Seoul really close to the Seoul fortress actually is the Gyeongbukgung palace which was the main palace at the time. It's an absolute paster piece with the most beautiful gardens and ponds hidden away. It was built in 1395 and founded by King Taejo. Gyeongbukgung Palace in more common english means "Greatly Blessed by Heaven". It was built in the heart of Seoul, the capital city of Korea. There was 5 palaces built by the Joseon dynasty of which Gyeongbukgung (the main palace) served as the home of the kings of Joseon dynasty, the King's households as well as the government of Joseon. 

After the invasion of Japan in 1592 most of the Palaces in Korea were destroyed and burnt to the ground and the stones used as the foundations were all shipped to Japan. The buildings were all made from wood and stone at the them with the most beautiful patterns painted on the wood. From the few boards that I read at the palace (they were hard to find) the Prince of that time who was in charge of education and 2 other portfolios was decapitated by the Japanese before the whole kingdom got destroyed. It kind of sounds a little like Game of Thrones don't you think? The late Prince Regent restored almost all the kingdoms in the 19th century to it's original state but the architecture had a strong Chinese influence which could be seen in some of the palace decor. 

Then again in the 20th century most of the palaces got destroyed by Imperial Japan. It is under construction at the moment to restore the beauty it once carried. This particular palace is regarded as the most beautiful palace amongst the 5 palaces that was built in that time. 

Click here if you want to know more.

This was probably the most peaceful and beautiful pond I have seen in Korea so far. 

In the back you could see the entertainment hall. There was also a old styled boat laying in the water.

Me being crazy. But this walkway I imagine was a hall way and I can see it being quite romantic
 for a afternoon stroll. 

This was the main hall of the kingdom. 

This is how the guards dressed like in that time.
They stood so still they didn't look really and they change position every hour or so.