On day four Alex and I decided to go out on our own and find our way to one of the two palaces in Seoul. We hopped on the subway and found our way to Insadong. We went to the first palace we could find, the Changgyeonggung palace. I was floored by how beautiful the structure was.
The architecture was stunning. It was all hand painted in vivid and bright colors. Words cannot accurately describe how gorgeous the buildings are.
I also couldn't get over the little archways that were all over the palace grounds.
I will never forget what it felt like to walk the palace grounds and learn about the rich history of the palace and about those who lived there. Our next stop was just down the street. Lindsay had told us about a Buddhist temple and I wanted to check it out. Once we found the temple we also decided to take a tour of the Buddhist Museum next door. It was very interesting to learn about Buddhism in South Korea. I was enrolled in a world religions class at the time so I was very intrigued by all the information, documents, and artifacts that the museum had and display.
Once we had finished the tour, which was all in Korean, we went to the temple next door. I had never been into a Buddhist temple before so I was eager to see the monks leading mantras and to see the inside of the temple. Inside, I was greeted by three large gold Buddhas.
All over the ceiling were beautiful lanterns. Also, paintings of Buddha's life were all along the ceiling and walls. The art was amazing. It was an eye opening experience to watch and hear the monks lead mantras while Buddhist followers followed along in their personal prayer books. I am so glad that I was able to get a little peek into the Buddhist religion outside of the classroom.
It was a very educational and fun filled day. I will never forget what I learned, saw, and experienced that day. And I am glad we were able to find the time to go and see these two awe inspiring places.
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