I then went to visit 경복궁 (Gyeongbokgung) Palace, located on the West side of 창덕궁 and it also belongs to the 조선(Joseon) Dynasty. It was constructed in 1394 by the first king and founder of the Dynasty. Only 40% of the palace still stands but it is slowly being restored. It is a very large place complex, at first it's only buildings but as you progress to the North you can see more and more trees and garden with ponds. It is a very beautiful site. The different part of the palace have been added by different kings through the age. My favorite part is 향원정(Hyangwonjeong) pavilion which means "Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance". It was build in 1873 by the order of King 고종(Gojon). It is build on an artificial island of a lake 향원지(Hyangwonji) and accessible through a bridge called 취향교(Chwihyanggyo) which means "Bridge Intoxicated with Fragrance". The bridge was first build on the North side of the lake and was the longest wooden bridge in 조선Dynasty but it was destroy during the war and rebuild on the South side.
Travel table of content
I visited Jeju last May for a couple of days. Maybe I should try Soul next time. Did you travel alone? How do you like it?
ReplyDeleteI went to Jeju too and I want to go back again haha. I was alone and it was a lot of fun.
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