The last stop of my winter trip to Seoul: a place that allows visitors to gain a sense of what the city might have looked like before war and economic development changed its urban landscape forever.
Category Archives: Korea 2013
Field Report: Seoul (12 February 2013) – Part 1/2
Roads are a sign of progress, both when they’re built up and when they’re taken down. Such is the story of one of Seoul’s newest (and at the same time most ancient) landmarks: the long-lost, now newly restored Cheonggyecheon stream that runs right through the heart of the city.
Field Report: Seoul (11 February 2013) – Part 2/2
With five sprawling royal residences scattered across their capital, a shortage of palaces was something the Joseon kings had no right to complain about. In any case, their past extravagance is a boon for the tourists of today, who now have a rich buffet of historic structures to choose from and add to their itineraries.Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (11 February 2013) – Part 2/2”
Field Report: Seoul (11 February 2013) – Part 1/2
The Kingdom of Joseon was a Confucian state, and its rulers considered ancestral veneration a high priority. It should come as no surprise that royal ancestors would be enshrined, and the prescribed rituals performed for them, in appropriately grand surroundings – like the ones I encountered on the third day of my trip to SeoulContinue reading “Field Report: Seoul (11 February 2013) – Part 1/2”
Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 4/4
Walking deeper into the garden, I was struck by the silence and the stillness of the snow-covered scenery all around me. We were right in the heart of Seoul, one of the world’s busiest cities, yet standing here I might as well have been hiking through a remote stretch of countryside far beyond the reachContinue reading “Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 4/4”
Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 3/4
Gyeongbokgung was nice, very nice indeed – in a straight-laced, straight-lined, right-angled sort of way. The neatly planned succession of gateways and courtyards strung along rigidly laid axes makes for an impressive statement of power and order, consistent with the sort of ground plan one might encounter in other East Asian palace complexes (the ForbiddenContinue reading “Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 3/4”
Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 2/4
The charming brick-faced area around Myeongdong Cathedral may have had a strong European flavour, but my next stop featured some splendid examples of unmistakably Korean art and architecture.
Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 1/4
Another day out in the freezing cold – but with bright sunshine and clear blue skies, conditions were just right for a relaxing journey through the historic centre of Seoul. On today’s itinerary: Myeongdong Cathedral, Gyeongbokgung, and Changdeokgung.
Field Report: Seoul (09 February 2013)
Next week, Diego’s jetting off to South Korea for a family holiday. Now travelling with other people might not be his cup of tea, but when the chance for an excursion paid almost entirely out of parental pockets comes by, he’s not one to let the opportunity slip past. As an appetiser for (and aContinue reading “Field Report: Seoul (09 February 2013)”
Within striking distance 