Photo of the Month: 창경궁 Seoul

Last month when I posted Photo of the Month, a friend asked if I had posted any Photos of the Month from Korea, and I realized I hadn't.  Korea was interesting for me...I didn't really have the opportunity to explore the country as I normally would because of the FrankenAnkle fiasco.  When I first arrived in Korea, I still had no idea that I had originally broken my ankle 10 months prior.  After I found out that I needed surgery, I was in too much pain to really explore anything.  Post-surgery, I was on crutches for six months, which made adventuring difficult.  When my doc said I could finally ditch the crutches, my time in Seoul was coming to an end.  I did get out some, but the amount of quality photos I have from Korea are few and far between than previous countries I've visited.

I've been reminiscing about my time in Seoul lately, with a visit from one of my best friends who still lives there, and thinking about my students - hoping they're doing well and feeling blessed to have (hopefully) had a positive impact on their lives, so I'll dedicate this Photo of the Month to Seoul.

The second my doc told me I could ditch my crutches, I was suffering from an extreme case of cabin fever.  I begged my Korean co-teachers to come with me to Changgyeonggung Palace in Seoul...I had heard legends of its Secret Garden and I was dying to see it.

The Secret Garden of Changgyeonggung was so peaceful, in the middle of a bustling city.  You have to join a tour group and pay an extra fee to go through the garden, but since I was relatively slow going, my friends and I were left in the back of the group, a plus since we could take photos without a large group of people in them, but we also were not able to hear what the guide was telling us about the area.  The tour was a bit of a trek as well, quite hilly, which also slowed me down.  But hey-ho, it was great to get out of my apartment and discover some culture that I had never really given a second thought to before moving to Korea!  It was also just a lovely day spent with my co-workers...I can definitely say that day we spent exploring Changgyeonggung Palace was my favorite day in Korea.

창경궁

If you're ever in Seoul, a visit to the palaces is worth it, especially the Secret Garden of Changgyeonggung.  You can check out my full photo blog post of Changgyeonggung here!

Happy Trails!