On day six during our time in Korea, Adam once again wanted to go and visit one of the nearby palaces with a secret garden that was highly rated, so after a quick breakfast of cereal, we headed out for an afternoon of touring.
The Changdeokgung palace was one that you had to be escorted through (not sure why) and came with a 1.5 hour guided tour which actually upset a lot of people who were hoping to walk through it quickly on their own. We ended up wishing ourselves that it had been a self guided tour as well because with 4 kids it was awfully hard to keep them quiet and entertained for 1.5 hours why our tour guide told lots of stories and facts about each place. But it certainly was beautiful and we loved meeting and talking with other tourists from other countries.
Walking in the front gates of the palace
We waited here for our English tour to start.
Our cute tour guide Jane decked out in traditional Korean attire.
While Jane (our tour guide) was speaking – the kids and I would usually go and try to find someplace further away from the big crowds to sit and fan ourselves in the shade. This also helped it so other visitors could hear Jane since keeping 4 kids quiet for very long is nearly impossible. đ
We loved the beautiful gardens, ponds, and rivers as we went through the palace grounds.
At one point I got asked to take a picture of these two beautiful twin sisters (Liliana and Angelika) who I found out were from Russia! We ended up chatting almost the entire rest of the tour (as stragglers in the back of the group and I loved hearing about their lives and travels. By the end of the tour, I felt like I’d found some long lost friends! They were so sweet and just kept complimenting me on how well behaved my kids were and how impressed they were with me as a mother. Love them!
It was fun to see another one of Korea’s amazing palaces and to learn more about the history behind it. We especially enjoyed meeting new friends and learning about their lives.