Anguk
Now back in Seoul we were going to spend the day visitng some spots that were walking distance from our hotel, starting with another of the palaces.
On the way to the palace, we walked through Anguk where we made a few stops at random places we spotted along the way, including a cute cat and dog illustration store, and Garlic Boy, a stall that was selling various garlic breads.
Changdeokgung Palace
The palace we were aiming for this time was Changdeokgung. Whilst Gyeongbokgung palace that we visited at the start of the holiday is bigger and more popular, the buildings at Changdeokgung are much older, dating from the 15th century. Because of this, Changdeokgung is a World Heritage site.
It was surprisingly quiet as we explored the grounds and buildings.
The palace was still in use until the 20th century, so some elements look slightly more modern and western.
Bukchon
After finishing our walk around the palace and a cold drink break, we headed toward Bukchon.
The area was filled with cafes and artist’s studios and shops. We visited a number of stationary and art print stores, including another cat themed one.
Another part of Bukchon is an area with traditional Hanok buildings. One street has a nice mix of the traditional roofs and modern buildings and Namsam tower in the background. However, it was very busy and quite small compared to what we had seen in Gyeongju!
We made our way back through Bukchon and Anguk towards the hotel, stopping for iced tea and a mango bingsu (shaved ice) to share on the way back. It was our first time trying proper shaved ice and it was surprisingly soft and fluffy, not at all crunchy/sharp!
