Weeks 26 and 27: Haircut and Changdeokgung Palace (Jan. 22 - Feb 4, 2024)

 

Dancheong painted on the royal residence at Changdeokgung Palace
Feb 3, 2024

Changdeokgung Palace Throne Room
The gold brocade curtains and lamp coverings light up the throne room

  
The palace is a little smaller than Gyeongbokgung (the largest one) so it is easier to see the dancheong close up. 
The Secret Garden at Changdeokgung is beautiful in any season. It is a UNESCO world heritage site so can only be seen by tour. This is much easier to accomplish in the winter. 

I have been wanting to do a scrapbook layout on dancheong (one of my favorite cultural treasures in Korea). There is a faculty art display going up at the end of February so I thought I would contribute a 2-page layout about dancheong. I have some good photos but I had heard that the best place to see dancheong up close was at Changdeokgung palace, which is the most beautiful of the 5 palaces in Seoul. Since the weekend of Feb 3 was a bit warmer than it had been in the past few weeks I rounded up some colleagues and we went to see the palace and the secret garden that lies behind the palace (within a walled compound). 
This tour was definitely a highlight for me. The palace grounds are extensive, and the condition of them is very good. We took the garden tour and wandered the grounds for about three hours. Then we had lunch at a restaurant in Insadong that is actually right next door to the Old Shin Tea Room. So we had tea as well, because it is Old Shin. I never pass up a chance to visit Old Shin. The cinnamon ginger tea is still the best tea I have ever tasted.
We wandered along the streets of Insadong, did some shopping, and ended up taking a taxi back in order to get home before 7pm. 
I have been staying late at work (like until 7pm many days) so it was nice to get out and be a tourist. My brain really enjoys tourist mode. 
The last weekend in January I went to the hair salon with a colleague who has lived in Korea for about 8 years. She knows all the best things and the best places. Her stylist lived in the UK for 7 years, so she speaks English fluently. This was encouraging. I really like the haircut she gave me (Lucy is the name the hairstylist goes by). She went a bit platinum on the color though. But the change is good. You will have to watch the video for photos of the hairstyle update. 

Video link: https://youtu.be/4QFfLAYIGpE

Lunar New Year starts Feb 10 for us and we have a 4-day weekend in honor of the celebration. I keep seeing blue dragons everywhere! One from the ceiling in the gazebo of the secret garden: 



 



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