McLeanCamino: June 29th The Palace and National Folk Museum

Guards at Palace Enterance

Pouring rain! All night long and continuing all day. So we thought we would find an indoor activity like the Gyeongbokgung Palace where we could get a free English guided tour at 11am. The hotel loaned us an umbrella, wrote out our destination in Korean and we hopped in a taxi. There were a total of three of us in the tour - a Spaniard like us who thought the tour would be an "indoor" activity...not the case as you walk all around the buildings and look inside but you don't actually go inside. The palace complex was started by the Joseon dynasty (1394 - Confucian dynasty) and destroyed by the Japanese invasion (1592 - 1598) . The guide was very good at pointing out what was still original sections of the palace and what was a reconstruction. The rule of the Joseon dynasty left a substantial legacy as the modern Korean script originated in this period as well as much of modern Korean etiquette.

After the palace we went to the National Folk Museum of Korea which displays a wonderful timeline of the Korean history including the Bronze Age. Porcelain was also on display. Interesting was that during the previous dynasty, Goryeo which lasted from 918 to 1392, Korea had a healthy trade relationship with the Arabians, Japanese, Chinese, and Manchurians. Koreans offered brocades, jewelery, ginseng, silk, and porcelain, renowned famous worldwide. But, during the Joseon Dynasty, Confucianism was adopted as the national philosophy, and, in process of eliminating certain Buddhist beliefs, Goryeo Cheongja porcelains were replaced by white Baekja, which lost favour of the Chinese and the Arabians. Also, commerce became more restricted during this time in order to promote agriculture.

We took a taxi back to the hotel area and had the fixed price lunch menu in a Bohemian Bistro ($40 for two).