DAY 9 - FIRST DAY IN SEOUL - CHANGDEOKGUNG PALACE - THURSDAY 5 MAY

Our guesthouse is in the Bukchon Hanok Village (a hanok being a traditional tiled house with rooms set around an inner courtyard, in a style dating back to the Joseon Dynasty period - 1392 to 1910).

and around the corner is the Changdeokgung Palace. It was originally built in 1405 but, after partial destruction during a Japanese invasion in the late 1590s, it was rebuilt in 1610 and then served as the main palace for about 270 years.  

It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage in 1997.

We wandered around the throne hall, which was used for holding the most formal of state events, the ruler's council hall, the library

and, all around us, saw people dressed in traditional costume

albeit some of them seemed to be embracing the modern world...

The palace was always popular for its spacious and beautiful garden, trees and flowers, ponds and pavilions. It takes up 60% of the palace grounds and is a separate attraction with compulsory guided tours (luckily, the day we visited was Children's Day - a public holiday - and we were left to wander at our own pace)

And by night we saw the lanterns a-glow. Saturday night is the lantern parade.