We certainly hit the ground running today! There are 10 of us on this bike trip together and this is the first day we are all together. After piling into two cabs, we head to find some lunch.

We start with some traditional Tosokchon Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken) soup for lunch—along with ginger liquor AND ginseng liquor. Even though we had to dissect the cornish hen in our bowl, it was an amazing experience. The restaurant was packed with locals – except for us – and we were all making a mess. All of it was excellent and a great way to get an energy boost for the rest of the day.

Off to see a palace or two to see how the royalty lived. We could have dressed up in traditional Korean dress to get our pictures taken through out the grounds but we opted against that. We did see many others, mostly locals, dressed up and having mini photoshoots. At the National Museum of history we split into smaller groups and explored it at our own pace. It was a great spot to learn about Korea’s history.

We then walked along the Cheonggyecheon Stream pathway—this used to be where the villagers (from years and years ago) would gather to wash their clothes, prep meals and gossip. It is now a stunning walk with art, greenery, bridges and history placards. I would have loved to have been able to walk the whole pathway but time was of the essence.

 

Walking to our next palace, we had to navigate the crowds gathering along the streets. They were getting ready for a huge parade taking place in celebration of the Armed Forces. The pride was palpable as everyone cheered and waved and smiled. Once we arrived at the next palace, we were treated with a military air show that was closing out the parade. Very cool.

A visit to the K & L Art Gallery was a pleasant surprise. The whole gallery was an art installation by Claudia Comte telling the “Tale of Renewal”. It was absolutely stunning and unexpected. To finish off our day, we went to the Spanish restaurant right next door and had some pretty decent Spanish food right there in Seoul.