Deoksu Palace and Han River

We were little confused about this trip. We wanted to visit a Palace so we zeroed on Deoksu as it was easy for travelling. And then we thought of going to Itaewon(shopping place for tourists mainly) but we were not that excited for Itaewon. As we had finished major part of our shopping and wanted to see some places rather than surf the market. So we went through the major places to visit. We wanted to go Han river but it required changing trains 2 times. And there were 2 stations with cruising facilities nearby. When we saw the metro map we realised Yeouinaru station is closer to City Hall (where Deoksu palace is there) than Jamsil which is way far away. So we made our decision to go Han river and researched a bit. This site was informative about the Cruising facilities.

It was cloudy day but not that chilly and we started our journey to Seoul. Within an hour we reached City Hall station and just as we came out of the Exit the pathway led us directly to the Deoksugung Palace. It is famous for its elegant stone-wall road. Now some details about its history. In 1593, after all the royal palaces had been burnt down during the 1592 Japanese invasion, King Sonjo took up temporary residence in a villa which had been built for prince Wolsan (1454-1488). The ruler, King Kwangaegun, named the temporary residence Kyongun-gung. In 1897, King Kojong expanded the palace to make it suitable as the seat of government. King Sunjong later stayed here, renaming it Deoksu-gung (Palace of Virtuous Longevity). This palace includes some of the best examples of royal architecture of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) and has been designated as Historic Site #124 by the central government for preservation and protection. More info about the Palace can be viewed from this site and this.
We enjoyed immensely the surrounding and grandeur of the place. The structures were typical Korean architecture except the Seokjogwan which was Greek style. We spent some type taking some classic snaps in the palace. Then we finished our tour by 2 pm as at that time there will be Changing of the Royal guard ceremony near the main gate. And it was an event to watch if you visit the palace. And there was option to wear their traditional dress and beat the drum and be a part of the ceremony. I wanted to wear their dress but we were running short of time since we had to go to Han river too and the list of interested tourists was too long. When the ceremony began a troop of guard came in their colourful costumes and there was some verbal commands and parading. And the old guard left and new guard took his place. Then we had our lunch at KFC as it was near the venue. And we started for Han River.
We both were looking forward to this trip. Hubby wanted to visit this place from Day 1, so he was happy that finally the day has come. Here also when we came out of the subway and took left, there it was the beautiful river Hangang in front of us. Another landmark is the 63 Building which is 249 meters (817 ft) high, it was the world's tallest building outside North America and Asia's tallest building when it completed construction in 1985. The 60th floor houses the world's tallest art gallery and an observation deck known as 63 Golden Tower. Most visitors were couples spending time near the bank,tourists and young kids cycling around. The evening & night cruise on the river is considered to be very romantic with the sunset and view. We had a great time on the bank. Then we started looking for the ticketing place and Pier. As we went further we saw it and took tickets for the Blooming cruise as it was to leave in 30 mins and the next cruise was to leave at 6.30 which was 2 1/2 hr of wait. So we went inside the Nodle Pier and waited for our boat to come. It was little bit chilly due to the wind. So we got hot coffees from the cafe inside and sat sipping it near the boarding gate. There was a table there where people had made their marks with the pen attached. Everyone was leaving comments,writing names. So hubby wrote down our name inside a heart (was very sweet as it was 1st time we were doing this kind of stuff :-)) . And the hot coffee was really wonderful and helped to keep our hand warm from the wind. Then in time our boat came and we went in. It was 2 decked ferry but they made us sit in lower deck and the trip started with a small magic show by in-house magician. It was good but we were restless to come out and see the scenes as they pass by and feel the wind. After sitting for 20 mins we came out in middle of the show and I thank hubby for telling to come out. We directly went to the upper deck and we were greeted by the wind and beautiful view around us. We took a walk and saw the entire deck and took some snaps. The front of the ferry was decorated with flowers defending its name of 'Blooming cruise'. It was wonderful and soon we lost count of time. And we were so engrossed in drinking the scene of Seoul in front of us, going under the bridges that we felt it was so soon the time got over. Then we came out of the pier and wandered a little bit near the river bank. We took our time and finally boarded our trains with a light and refreshed mind. I would recommend anyone visiting Seoul to try this for sure. It will be a relaxing, romantic and an awesome experience in total.