Seoul

With a summer vacation only 4 days long and not enough time to leave the country, a trip to Seoul was in order. Although I've lived here for 18 months, I'd never really visited the capital. And honestly, my expectations were low, but we had a great time. It was the perfect place to spend a short vacation.

 There were hundreds and hundreds of old men gambling in this park. Not a single woman in sight.

Jongmyo Shrine, ancestor worship site for the kings of the Joseon Dynasty.

More old men, a 700-year-old pagoda encased in glass.

Cheong-bok-gung Palace

Throne room

Residence of the Japanese princess. Japanese style architecture.

700-year-old Juniper

We'd planned to visit Seoraksan on our way home but it ended up that would couldn't make it there. It looks amazing, though, and I'm determined to get there before the year is up. Returning to work was a sad event but Korea is generous with national holidays and I'm already counting down the days until the August 15th holiday and the five-day Thanksgiving holiday coming up in about 7 weeks. Almost time to start making more travel plans!