Gheongbok Palace

Saturday the 10th of October

I traveled to the Gyeongbokgung Palace today.  All of the palaces in Korea end in gung which is funny because gung means palace.  So when you read Gyeongbokgung palace it is really translating to Gyeongbok Palace Palace.  

I arrived at the palace doors and payed the equivelant of two dollars to tour the enormous grounds.  It was littered with quaint courtyards seperated from eachother by stone walls.  I stood in awe of the prodigious architecture.  The name Gyeongbokgung, means Palace greatly blessed by the heavens, and only then standing in its immaculate presence did I believe it.  Their were meticulously constructed buildings resting perfectly centered in a still pond.  The only movement that unsettled its peace were vibrant carp that quietly rippled the waters glass like surface with their tales.  The queens quarters were stationed in the back of the palace to ensure her faith to the king.  I imagined what the grounds would look like during the Japanese invasion during 1592.  I hope that our gift upon death is to travel throughout history and watch these final moments of virtue.  I would have liked to have seen the guards standing strong and preforming their duty proudly despite knowing their imminent fate.  I would have liked to have seen the king in his final hours and who he wanted to see last, his final words, and final commands.  Would the queen be by his side or from the confines of her prison like quarters would she reach out and find solace in a servant.  In these final hours all of the subtle unspoken beauties of love bloom and erupt for we know that our time is at an end.  These are the rare moments that we forget about social standing and petty grudges.  We act more human than we ever will.  In these brief fleeting moments the gods envy mankind for we are all beautiful and divine.  Alright sorry got a little poetic for a second.  

Anyways my camera ran out of batteries upon my arrival to the heart of Seoul so I only got pictures on my cell phone.  I unfortunately cannot transfer them to my computer, so as for now they serve the lame purpose of being beautiful cell phone backgrounds.  I am going to go back and take more pictures of the same palace so you guys can understand how amazing they really are.  I will also continue explaining the journey to Seoul.