To start off we got here on Thursday evening. The flight was pretty good, not too turbulent. After watching what seemed like a bajillion movies on the plane, we landed in Korea and my uncle and his wife came to pick us up! We got to my grandparent's house in Seoul and like always, we had a delicious feast prepared by my grandma.
We were all trying to eat as much as we could, hoping that it would wake us up and help us get used to the jet lag we were feeling! We crashed that night and woke up early the next morning and we all got our hair done the next morning (except for max of course).
It was funny because most Korean people have never seen hair like Max's. Everyone at the salon kept asking me if Max got his hair permed because it was so curly haha. (it's common for Korean guys to get their hair permed--it's weird, I know).
After we got our hair done we had lunch and walked around/shopped in the area we were at near Ehwa Women's University.
And then today we went out to visit GwangHa Moon--the main wall and palace area of the ancient Korean royal palace. It was super fun to see all the cool buildings of where the ancient kings used to live. It's sad to think that there used to be a lot more ancient palace buildings around, but a lot of them got destroyed during the Korean War. Stupid war.
Anyways here are
This was before we left. Max wanted me to document how awesome and big his biceps were haha
Max and my cute grandma
the start of our tourist-ing today :)
They made a memorial for one of the greatest Korean admirals in downtown Seoul a few years ago--it's pretty cool
They had these fun little floor fountains for people to play in too!
Max, focused while reading the narrative of the monument
when in Korea, take pictures like the Koreans do! ;)
So near the statue memorial they have a little booth that lets you try on some old fashioned royal Hanboks and take pictures in a booth for free! It's funded by the city to promote cultural awareness in the city, which is pretty cool
This is the traditional King's outfit that Max is wearing.
what a good looking king :)
this is our serious picture haha
our 'royal family' picture :)
in the back you can see a golden statue of the Korean King who invented the Korean alphabet/written language
Max, embracing his role as 'king'
Max acting like a king and me and my mom acting like his servants haha
another booth in the area had people write little life mottos/sayings in cool korean calligraphy
we bought one for our house that says, "family is heaven on earth"Awesome huh?
Behind you can see GwangHa Moon--the main door/entrance to the old palace, as well as Inwang Mountain. It was believed that Inwang Mountain was the vessle in which blessing and good fortune came to Korea.
There were some guard dressed up in front of the gate. They did a flag changing like every 15 minutes, which was kind of cool too
This room was where the King would meet with his government officials
I absolutely LOVE korean ancient architectures--it's just so beautiful!
my pretty sister
I get my good looks from my momma!
behind is the building that all the king's parties was held at. So pretty!
I thought the ceiling looked really cool so i took this silly picture haha
this walkway was so short, even for a korean walkway
Near the palace was a museum of Korean history that we visited. Outside was the Korean Children's Museum that had traditional Korean games. This is the anciently originated game of "hackysack". Max was pretty much a pro at it.
This was another game of throwing sticks into a little vase looking thing
Max finally got one in on one of his last tries
Traditional Korean shoes--rich people had shoes made of silk and wood that were more sturdy, but this is the commoner shoes. It's probably the only pair of shoes in Korea that fit Max's feet haha
An old trolley/train thing
A replica of an ancient "pharmacy"
future pharmacists!
I loved this section of the palace--the orange walls and brick were so pretty!
I told Max that one day I want to have a vacation home modeled after Korean palaces and I also want a wall like this. It's just so pretty I loved it! :)
Max found a 'royal rock'. It's probably a million years old. He saved it and brought it home in his pocket :P silly boy!
And then on our way home we saw this thing that looked like an ice cream cone. And we liked it. :)
Well that's all for today folks! We'll keep you posted on the rest of our Korean adventures!
Looks so fun! You'll have to go with us sometime and be our tour guide:)
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