Gyeongbokgung Palace

Just outside of Seoul's National Folk Museum, under the shadow of a five-tiered pagoda that makes up just a small part of Gyeongbokgung Palace, is a tree lined walk through a street built to look like a typical Korean street from the 1970's.  There's a fake bookstore and a fake restaurant, there's a cable car and a barber.  It's a quick trip to a Korea that peeks through in some places still today.  

I'd like to say I know something about the National Folk Museum or Gyeongbokgung Palace or any of the things we saw as we wandered slowly through the palace grounds, but I'd be lying.  I don't know anything about any of it.  Sara and I were cold and starving and passed through faster than I would have liked.  We didn't go to the folk museum and we didn't really go to the palace.  We'd been wandering the twisted streets of Bukchon Village for a few hours and we were hungry.  

I can say I know about some awesome food right outside the palace walls.  Cafe Mama's is one of my favorite places to eat in Seoul.  They serve all kinds of sandwiches and a ridiculous salad that's smothered in ricotta cheese, in a good way.  In terms of access to food Pohang is basically rural Korea.  The Korean food is great, but everything else is kind of meh.  So for me, Seoul is really about getting to as many restaurants as possible.  Cafe Mama's, just a five minute walk from Gyeonbokgung Palace, is one of my top choices. As always, here's 10 pictures and some foolish comments.

Fall was full on just less than a month ago.  Since then winter has come on fast, with multiple reports of snow in Seoul, and even a few flurries in Pohang.

I don't really know, but I think this mocked-up like a traditional medical shop.  All manner of sticks and berries and dried fruits claiming to cure just about anything.  If your into this kind of thing, you can still find traditional medicine markets pretty much in any regular market.

Korea's huge on statues, they're just everywhere.  These guys had seen better days.

You could even try on some traditional shoes.  Sara thought she could use a pair of these.

I have no idea where this cable car came from.  I've never seen anything to indicate that Korea had cable cars.  Maybe it was an early subway car.

Here's pretty much the only reason I think this thing is from the 1970's, this movie poster.  How many of these could still be around?  Star Wars poster with Hangul? 

If it weren't for all the North Face stuff, you wouldn't know this was a fake town.  

Of course there are statues of the Chinese Zodiac.

A view of one of the palace buildings.

This is from the city surrounding the temple.  The whole road walking down from Bukchon has a view of the palace.  If the weather's not too horrible, it's a great place for a walk.

This is almost it for Seoul.  I might have one post left, but I'm about ready to move on to Fall here in Pohang.  Sadly, winter's coming and I don't know how much I'll be outside, pretty soon this blog will just be pictures of our dog.