Gwanghwamun Square

While I didn't manage to get to MPX Gallery to see Tatsuya Tanaka's world premiere of his 'Miniature Life' exhibition (yes, in Seoul), I'm glad that we managed to do long walks at a few museums, art galleries and two palaces. I don't need a giant dose of history or cultural things. But I would like to have a look at these venues and their contents in peace without maddening crowds.

E has never been to Seoul, so she wasn't too bored looking at the palaces that are super accessible to us — Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. We did those very quickly. There're five palaces in Seoul. First-time tourists should do two, I guess. LOL I'm not that keen to go to all of them. Palaces don't interest me very much. They're just fancier feudal type of prison. I can view the changing of guard and the sorts on Youtube or something.

I'm hardly interested in skincare and shopping. Not when I don't have anything to buy for myself. If I do buy, they're all for the other girlfriends. I don't particularly want to do mindless shopping at Myeondong or anywhere else, or to see endless racks of clothes. These activities don't excite me. I'm just there to see how much Seoul has changed, what shoppers see in Seoul, and for the great company and the fun yet reflective conversations. 

Gwanghwamun Square is just next to our hotel. Neither S or I have gone to see the statues on our previous trips. E was quite happy to just tag along with us today. Heh. We had a stroll around the site, looked up at the King Sejong (hailed as inventor of hangul in 1443), the fourth king of the Chosǒn Dynasty, and much feted naval commander Admiral Yi Sun-Shin (1545-1598). That's not to say we didn't know of them before this. We did have to study history in school.

It was a breezy morning. Ahhhh... I miss this cool, crisp air. I've forgotten how lovely it is. Bright sunshine in 24°C and low humidity. Gorgeous.