Day 5 → 14 km walked 🚶♀️
Today we stayed within walking distance only - no subway, just exploring on foot since our hotel was quite close to everything.
We also finished the last palace on our Seoul list: Deoksugung Palace.
Deoksugung Palace
Deoksugung feels quite different from the other palaces in Seoul. It is actually the newest of the royal palaces, and that shows clearly in its architecture. Unlike the strictly traditional wooden buildings of Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung, Deoksugung has a unique mix of Korean and Western-style buildings.
Some parts honestly made me feel like I had suddenly walked back into Europe 😄 Columns, stone buildings, and symmetrical Western architecture sit right next to traditional Korean halls, a very unusual but interesting combination.
It was also noticeably less crowded than the other palaces, which made the whole visit feel more relaxed.
From the back exit, we walked out onto Gojong’s Road, passing a small park, before continuing to our next stop.
Gyeonghuigung Palace
Nearby, we visited Gyeonghuigung Palace, the final palace left on our list and probably the quietest of them all.
It’s a smaller and much less visited palace, often overlooked compared to the major ones. Historically, it served as a secondary palace during the Joseon Dynasty, but today it feels more like a peaceful hidden corner in the middle of the city.
Almost no crowds, lots of open space, and a very calm atmosphere - completely different from the busy energy of Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung.
Afternoon break & claw machines
After the palace walk, we stopped at a café to rest. Somehow all the ice cream was sold out, so we ended up with drinks and cake instead 😅
The afternoon… well, you can probably guess it already.
Yes — claw machines again 😆
My husband still cannot accept losing, so we gave it another try. It definitely cost us some money, but in the end we somehow walked away with 6–7 Pokémon plushies (one was a gift from a kind stranger again!). Honestly, people here are incredibly kind - maybe they just understand how impossible these machines are 😂
Dear Koreans… you should come try claw machines in Taiwan 😆 Even beginners can win something there. I’ve won prizes with just NT$10 before, and Adrian once got cookies on his first try. In Korea, it feels like you need a millionaire budget just to stand a chance 😜
And if you don’t win - don’t worry. There’s usually a guaranteed catch option, which I really miss in Korea. We saw those super cute Ditto Pikachu plushies again, spent quite a bit, and still walked away with nothing 😅
Final dinner in Korea
For our last dinner, we couldn’t skip Korean BBQ - and it absolutely delivered.
So many side dishes kept arriving that I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything was refillable, and it honestly felt like a feast. Even after all the walking every day, I’m pretty sure I still gained weight on this trip 😂
After dinner, we walked to Seoul Station one last time to look around the shops and slowly say goodbye to the city.
We also passed by a larger protest, with many participants and a heavy police presence - something unexpected, but part of the reality of the city.
0 komentarze:
Post a Comment