Today is going to be an exciting day! Both Juliane and I are renting the hanbok, traditional Korean dress to wear for the day. I know Juliane is fascinated with the hanbok. She used to draw them. She has a hanbok when she was 5 years old and she used to wear it for Racial Harmony Day for a few years consecutively until Primary 2. For today, we will be "Koreans". :) Just hope no one speaks to us in Korean haha.
We set off for the Oneday Hanbok rental shop a little later than anticipated because we had a late night last night. :P By the time we chose and put on our hanboks, it was after 11am. It was kind of awkward at first because we were getting stares from people when we travelled on the subway from the shop at Euljiro 4(sa)-ga Station to Gyeongbokgung Palace Station. I guess Koreans do not usually wear the hanbok unless during traditional festivals and celebrations.
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| Ready to be Koreans for the day :) |
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| Couldn't resist the chance to be young forever haha |
We got free entry into Gyeongbokgung Palace because we were wearing the rented hanboks. :) It was quite an experience for us, wondering around the palace grounds in our hanboks. We felt like we were people from ancient times lol. In fact, I think we did give quite a few visitors a turn when they suddenly saw us walking through a door and so on haha. :P (I heard quite a few Chinese tourists saying that, not realising that we aren't Koreans and could understand them.) We were also stopped several times by visitors, both foreigners and locals, who asked to take our photos or to take photos with us! Darn, should have charge them haha. :P I guess the hanboks we wore were of strong contrasting colours which made us really stood out among the palace buildings. :)
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| Our most favourite photo! |
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| My favourite solo photo :) |
Juliane was excited being at the palace. She loves watching Korean historical dramas and to be at the palace was a surreal experience for her. I love the intricate designs and artworks on the roof and ceilings of the various palace buildings.
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| Gwanghwamun Gate in the day time |
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| Path to the main throne hall |
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| The main throne hall |
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| Intricate artworks |
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| Juliane taking a photo of me |
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If you can see the Chinese characters, it has my
surname "黄" which is the colour "yellow" :) |
After the palace visit, we visited the National Palace Museum of Korea which is just next to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The museum houses the collection of art and objects from the palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, which spanned 500 years. It is a glimpse into how the Royals used to live as well as into the rich cultural legacy of the Joseon Dynasty.
After our day as "Koreans", we met up with my ex-colleague, Seung Hee who happened to be back in Korea visiting. We had a great chat over patbingsu at Sulbing, Insadong while our girls played together. :) It was really wonderful to catch up with a friend in a foreign land. :)
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| Souvenirs from Gyeongbokgung Palace |
Wearing the hanbok to visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace actually enhanced our cultural experience. It also gave me a new respect for the Korean traditional dress. I realised one becomes mindful of how one walks and sits when in a hanbok. I became very graceful. :)
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