At Changdeokgung Palace, there’s a secret garden, once used exclusively for Joseon royal family relaxation, contemplation, entertainment and ceremonies. A huge sprawling garden covering almost 78-acres and set right bang in the middle of downtown Seoul, it’s a magnificent wooded space and remains, even today, a highly restricted site. Just 100 timed visitors to the…
Tag: south-korea
Changdeokgung Palace – Old Seoul
We’ve been saving the best until last and it didn’t disappoint. We arrived at the Changdeokgung Palace gates early, armed with our pre-booked ‘Secret Garden’ tickets for 10.30am. It was still only 9.30am so, on a bright and very cold (-5 or so) morning, we stepped into this vast sprawling compound, quickly realising that we…
Dongdaemun Design Plaza – ‘Amazing Tomorrow’
The Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is what’s known in the business as an architectural showstopper. Designed by the late great Iraqi-British Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid it’s a breathtakingly adventurous and innovative building like no other (except maybe others by Zaha Hadid). Construction first started in 2009 and was officially inaugurated in 2014 and built at a…
Out and About in Sombre Seoul
There are certain famous go-to places in the world that you’ve always heard of and thought: okay, why not? Give it a whirl. Sure, they’re bound to be tourist haunts, but hey, could it really be that bad? Sadly, Gahoe-dong Alley in Bukchon is one of these overly touristy crowded places, as charming as it…
Living It Up, Gangnam Style
We’ve left the intense heat and humidity of Far North Queensland and headed to the deep winter of Seoul, South Korea – and in particular the uber trendy district of Gangnam, south of the Han River, 60 k’s inland from the frigid Yellow Sea. We’ve never been to South Korea, so flying a surprisingly civilised…
Travels With My Ant 