[Changgyounggung palace] A stroll in ancient palaces in Korea at night

 

 

From my traveling experience, it seems that old castles and ancient palaces were the appropriate place where it keeps a history and unique peculiarities of its country. Buda Palace, Buckingham Palace, Neuschwanstein Castle, Oaska Castle, etc. This places have each of stories(Usually, it is sad).

 

In Seoul where an old capital city with 600 years of a history, Hanyang used to be located, there were five castles : Gyeongbokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace and Gyeonghuigung Palace. As it is in other countires, palaces in Korea have a long history inside it

 

Korean Cultural Heritage Administration opens those old palaces at night in specific times of a year to let tourists feel the beauty of Korean palces.
 Unfortunately, however, only daily limited person who hold a ticket can enter the palaces at night.

You can purchase this ticket on the internet website : Interpark(ticket.interpark.com), Auction(http://www.auction.co.kr/?redirect=1). It costs only one thousand Korean Won(worth of $1), which means nothing. However, you should be hurry, since tickets are available on on a first come, first served basis.

For foreigners, there are many tickets available as well on a ticket office.
This can be different depending on each palace. Please check in advance.

Korean Cultural Heritage Administration opens those old palaces at night in specific times of a year to let tourists feel the beauty of Korean palces.
 Unfortunately, however, only daily limited person who hold a ticket can enter the palaces at night.

 

 

The way to go to Changgyeonggung Palace in a subway is through Ankuk Station(line 3) exit 3 or Hyewha(line 4) exit 4. Once getting out of a exit, you can just walk along the street.

 

 

 As going along the street out of exit 3, you will find one or two trees on a street and it will change into a forest before you know it. In every day of a life in skyscraper, I can be in relief watching a wide blue sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After15mins to 20mins of walking along this beautiful stone wall,
Changgyounggung Palace will come into sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ▲ Reserved tickets, I received from a ticket office.

At the moment I stepped into the entrance of Changgyounggung Palace, Hongwha gate, the view of this palace came in front of me. Inside of it, there were many people despite of the fact it was Sunday. Everyone seemed to enjoy cozy and quite atmosphere of an ancient palace.
 

 

Going a little, Geumcheon stream flows under the Okcheongyo Bridge, the oldest structure in Changgyoungung Palace.
Past the Okcheongyo Bridge, there is Myeongjeongjeon.
 

▲ Myeongjeongjeon, the national tresure of Korea.

 

▲ My girl friend in front of Myeongjeongjeon

 

The yard in front of Myeongjeongjeon was the spot where many tragic historic event happened. One of kings killed its son by locking in a wooden rice chest. Queen was executed by a bowl of poison.

 

 

 

Actually, this palace itself suffered from  destruction and restruction through history especially during Japanese colonial era.

 

 

 

 

 

▲ Korean Classical music performance.

Quite in the deep stillness of the night, beautiful melody of Korean Classical music was coming from deeper inside the palace.

 

Deeper and more sonorous sounds of Korean classical music. Shame enough, to be frank, I haven’t often listened to the Korean classical music. It is no doubt that I didn’t realize how beautiful Korean classical music sounds.

 

 

 

 

After this performance ended, we finished strolling inside of Changgyonggung Place and went back home. There was a feeling of inconvenience about wonderful moment of time going into an end. My step was light though probably due to the beautiful melody inside my mind.