To the Palace!!!!.... almost...

This morning, Ivana and I attended Seoul Union Church. It was quite interesting. I could never have imagined so many foreigners in Korea. As our first Sunday in Korea, it was nice that the church worships at Yonsei University (which makes sense, seeing how Yonsei was actually founded by Christians). Ivana read online that the head pastor was African American, so I was excited to see him preach (it just seemed so unexpected ^^). But when we got to the church, we found out that the head pastor was on a sabbatical, so I was secretly bummed. Still it was quite enjoyable.

After church, Ivana and I ventured towards 경복궁 (the Palace). The weather was just so nice today. It reminded me of San Diego weather: nice, cool, breezy. A perfect day to go out and venture.

It was awesome taking the bus. Because we didn't have to transfer buses, the bus system almost seemed faster than the subway system.

But first, lunch! I think it was because I saw a food delivery person, but I was craving 짜장면 (black bean paste noodles), so we looked for a 짜장면집. We went to 상하이짬뽕 (Shanghai Jambong). There was something different about the 짜장면: there was no meat and there was no MSG. I didn't mind it lacking meat, but I could taste the difference between 짜장면 with MSG and 짜장면 without. The 단부지 was partially frozen and was covered in ice bits. While a little strange, it was very refreshing.

After lunch, Ivana and I ventured around the area. It is full of museums and monuments! This was the place to be for tourists. Even the US embassy is located in that area!

The US Embassy 

세종대왕

이순신 장군

이순신 장군

세종대왕

We ventured into a museum featuring 세종대왕 (King Sejong) and 이순신 장군 (General Yi). I just love learning about history... We walked through a replica of the 거북선 (Turtle Ship). I even got to make my own fan there!

세종대왕

이순신 장군

거북선

My fan! I don't know if you can tell, but I wrote on the right side some of King Sejong's quotes.

Afterwards, we tried to go into the Palace, but there were so many tourists, it seemed almost impossible. So we enjoyed the Palace from the outside... until next time! I can't wait to come back and experience the wonder, the history, and the beauty of the Palace.

There's just so much beauty in Korean history that I seem to fall in love with.