Day 11: The Mystery of History

I figured that I should probably post some historical things about Korea so I can give some cool Korean history facts, as told by an anti-Communist, Kim Yuna-loving national! This guard post is located on the Eastern side of the central palace (Gyeongbok Goong). The layout of the palace, and Seoul as a whole, is quite interesting. The idea of the city was to make it as fortified as possible, with a huge mountain range directly behind the palace (to the north), the Sea to the west, and the Han River to the south. I would have taken a picture of the south gate (Namdaemun), but you know, some crazy Korean decided to set it aflame in 2008 and it still hasn't been rebuilt. This guard post is especially important to me because it is the welcoming committee, in a sense, to one of my favorite districts in Korea: Samcheon-dong. This area has gotten a bit more commercial than I would have liked it, but some of the best food, best art, and best cafes are located here. For those familiar with Atlanta, it reminds me of Virgina Highlands, but much more walkable and bigger. There are streets upon side streets filled with old houses turned into cafes or art galleries. There is even a cafe that serves 'ice cream sandwiches', which vary depending on the one you order, but it is basically two slabs of cake filled with mixed ice cream. Yummy? I think so!