Seoul-首尔塔，德寿宫
April 9: We left Jeonju and returned to Seoul today. We could only secure two standing tickets for the early morning return train two days ago when we arrived in Jeonju Sation. Last night we informed the host that we wouldn't have time for breakfast as we needed to catch the train early. As we walked through the quiet and empty streets of the village, we managed to find a taxi to take us to the train station. We savored a coffee and a pastry at the station before proceeding to the platform to wait for the train, where we joined many other tourists.
Passengers with standing tickets can only stand between the train cars. From previous train rides, we knew that there were two small foldable seats in that area. But we were unsure if we would be fortunate enough to secure them since our station wasn't the train's starting point. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to find seats unoccupied when the train arrived. Happily, we sat in the connecting area between the train cars for the two-hour journey back to Seoul. It felt like our private compartment, and we needed to get up at each stop to accommodate other passengers to get on and off the train.
For the second time in Seoul, we opted for a different hotel in the middle of the bustling Myeongdong. Since we arrived at the hotel before the designated check-in time, we stored our luggage and ventured out. First, we had our favorite Bibimbap and Korean spicy rice cake for lunch, and then we decided to walk to Namsan Park and see the iconic N Seoul Tower. It was a long walk from our hotel to the tower, but the park's natural beauty and serene atmosphere offered a delightful escape from bustling city life. We had our coffee and sweets at the Tower Plaza, where several shops and café located, but we didn't go up to the top of the Tower to avoid crowded indoor spaces. One of the well-known attractions at the Tower is the love locks. So many love locks in all shapes and colors are hanging at every railing at the base of the Tower, providing a pretty unique scene. We walked back to the hotel, accumulating 17,000+ steps in total.
April 10: We got exhausted yesterday from the early morning train ride and afternoon hiking, so we decided to slow down and take it easy today. The street in the early morning was tranquil, and most shops were still closed. We visited the nearby Myeongdong Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a significant religious and historical landmark in the heart of Seoul, South Korea. It holds great importance as the first Catholic church established in Korea. The cathedral is an impressive cityscape structure with its Gothic Revival architectural style. The underground shopping center hosting various coffee shops and restaurants is underneath the church. We took a leisurely stroll around the area dotted with numerous banks and financial institutions, spending a couple of hours exploring before heading back to the hotel to unwind and rest.
In the afternoon, we walked around the Myeongdong area and went to the Lotte Mall, not to shop, just to have dinner there. We stopped by the food court, which was huge with so many different vendors. We ordered the food from two separate booths, and each gave a location tag. We settled at a table, and the waitress soon brought the dishes to us since they knew where we sat by tracking the location tag. It turned out to be an incredibly gratifying dinner experience.
April 11: After relaxing and light in activity yesterday, we ventured out to the Cheonggye Plaza area early in the morning. The weather was overcast and occasionally dripping a little. We took the subway to the City Hall first. The streets were quiet, and not too many pedestrians. Existed from the subway station, the first encounter on the road was a temporary white tent next to the city hall. It was a memorial and protest site dedicated to the 159 young people who tragically died in the Halloween tragedy in Seoul last year.
The Deoksugung Palace was built during the Joseon Dynasty, a historical palace near the city hall in the center of Seoul, South Korea. Because of the weather, there were not many visitors. During the late 19th century, it became a royal residence and administrative center for the Joseon kings. What is unique is that the palace grounds feature traditional Korean architecture and Western-style buildings, reflecting its particular Joseon period, which we were unfamiliar with. Near the end of the Joseon period, Korea opened up to the influence of Western countries. There is a Daehan Empire History Museum inside the Palace. Tours are available in Seokjojeon Hall, a royal residence built for the emperor and empress. Since we didn't want to wait hours for a tour in English, we joined the tour in Korean with the help of an Audio guide instead. We had a great time in the museum and learned a few bits about the Joseon Dynasty.
4月9日回首尔。二天前只买到二张一早回首尔的站票。走的前一天也和女主人打了招呼，我们要赶火车，等不到吃早餐了。大清早街上没人，非常安静。我们稍微走了一小段路才叫到出租车去火车站。在车站里喝杯咖啡吃个面包后，就去车台等车。在车台上，游客不少。我们知道火车两节车厢之间在上下门的地方会有两个小折座椅供站票旅客使用，因为我们这里并不是火车的起点站，我们担心这两个座位是否还在。火车来了，很幸运，就我们俩是站票。高高兴兴坐在车厢连接区回首尔，二个小时感觉像包厢似的，只是每到一站必须站起来让其他旅客上下火车。
再次回到首尔，这次我们换了个旅馆，同样还是在最热闹的明洞区，位置更中心。我们选择了一家位于繁华的明洞中心的酒店。由于抵达酒店的时间比指定的入住时间早，我们寄存了行李，然后徒步外出。正好是午餐时间，我们品尝了我们最喜欢的韩国美食--石锅拌饭和韩国辣年糕。接着，我们步行前往Namsan公园，那里有标志性的首尔塔。从我们的旅馆到公园路挺远的， 好在公园沿途风景不错。因为不想往人堆里挤就没上塔顶，而是在塔的底层喝了咖啡吃了甜点休息一下。首尔塔还有一个著名景点是爱情锁，每个栏杆上都挂满了形状各异、颜色斑斓的爱情锁，呈现出一个非常独特的场景。最后，我们步行返回酒店，一天累积了17,000+步。
4月10日：昨天因为大清早赶火车和下午徒步去首尔塔，我们觉得有点累，所以今天就放松一下。清晨的街道非常安静，大多数商店仍然关门。我们参观了附近的明洞大教堂，也被称为圣母玛利亚大教堂，是韩国首尔市中心的重要宗教和历史地标。它是韩国建立的第一个天主教堂，具有重要意义。凭借其哥特式复兴建筑风格，大教堂在城市景观中是一个令人印象深刻的建筑。拥有各种咖啡馆和餐馆的地下购物中心位于教堂下方。周围地区有许多银行和其他金融机构，我们悠闲地逛了二，三个小时之后返回酒店休息。
下午，我们继续在明洞地区走走，来到Lotte购物中心。并不是想购物，而是在那里用晚餐。购物中心地下的美食广场非常大，有许许多多不同的供应各种美食的摊位。我们从二个摊位点了不同的菜，然后找了一张桌子坐下，几分钟后工作人员将食物送到我们的桌子上。 这一顿吃得非常满足，很享受着各种美味的韩国美食。
4月11日：经过昨天的小憩后，我们一大早就前往Cheonggye广场地区。天空阴沉，偶尔还下几滴雨。我们乘坐地铁前往市政厅。街道照旧是非常的安静，行人稀少。从地铁站出来，我们首先看到的是市政厅旁边的一个临时白色帐篷。这个帐篷是一个纪念和抗议场所，用于纪念去年在首尔万圣节悲剧中不幸死亡的159名年轻人。
德寿宫（Deoksugung Palace）是一座位于韩国首尔市中心市政厅附近的具有悠久历史的宫殿，建于朝鲜王朝时期。在19世纪后期，它成为朝鲜国王的皇家住所和行政中心。该宫殿独特之处在于融合了传统的韩国建筑风格和西方建筑风格，展现了朝鲜时代我们不太熟悉的一面。而在朝鲜时代的末期，韩国开始受到西方国家的影响，这在宫殿的设计中也可见一斑。由于天气原因，游客并不多。德寿宫内设有大韩帝国历史博物馆，而石祖殿（Seokjojeon Hall）则是为天皇和皇后建造的皇家住所。可以进石祖殿参观，但以韩语为主。由于我们不想等几个小时参加英语导览，我们加入了韩语组，依靠语音指南跟着导游走。博物馆值得一看，我们也学到了一些关于朝鲜王朝的知识。
