Journey to Korea: Changdeokgung Palace, Wednesday

Today we went to Changdeokgung Palace. We took the bus which was recommended by the tourist guides and which went pretty well until we realized they announce the stops in Korean and we didn't know when to get off. Thankfully we recognized the palace and only missed getting off by a couple of stops. The palace grounds and buildings were beautiful and we had a wonderful guide who made things interesting. After we decided to visit the palace's secret gardens which was led by another girl who spoke excellent english and kept things lively. She even knew American expressions! The palace gardens were considered secret gardens because the only people who could visit them were the kings and queens and whoever they decided could see them. Very special indeed! After our tours we decided to try a Korean resturant that was suggested by our guide from the secret gardens. We decided on beef Bulgolgi which they serve with several sides including Kimichi which I declined to taste but mom did and decided very quickly that she did not like. The Bulgolgi was very good and I would have it again. Today was also the day for our first visit to the subway to try to find a shopping district. Very, very stressful until we figured it out. We got lost a couple of times and thankfully the tourist information booths in the subway provided the right info to get us back on track. Finally we arrived at our destination and it was a bust. The toy and stationary district was nothing more than American toys and envelopes and pads of paper. We were expecting local toys and handmade paper. Oh well, worth the experience, and we made it back to our hotel on the subway with no problems! On the way home there was a large food exhibit by the river which was interesting as well as stinky. Korean food is VERY spicy and its odor is strong. It was a long but good day.