We started day 2 in Seoul by exploring the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is the largest of 5 palaces in Seoul.
Foreign visitors were once entertained at the Gyeonghoeru Pavillion. It was probably the most picturesque part of the palace for me.
You will see women dressed in Hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, posing for pictures all over the palace grounds.
You can also witness the changing of the guard a few times a day.
Haechi are mythical lion-like creatures. According to the Korea Times, they are the symbolic icon of Seoul.
After exploring the palace, we met up with some friends for lunch in Itaewon. The vegetarian, make-your-own bibimbap was my favorite meal on this trip. I didn’t catch the name, but it was a quaint restaurant down a quiet alley.
After lunch, we headed to Dongdaemun Market for some shopping. Honestly, we did not have much time to explore there. If you love shopping, you could probably spend days in this area, exploring the buildings filled with all kinds of wares. We mostly stuck to accessories and bought lots of keychains, pins, socks and jewelry. I would go back to Seoul just to spend more time in this area.
We wrapped up day 2 with dinner in the food court of E-Mart. I liked my shrimp tempura, and it was quite filling. I will say that meals on our trip were extremely reasonable. You could have a fairly large meal for 7-8 US dollars.
Lastly, I wanted to share some of the snacks that we purchased to bring home. The Honey Butter Almonds were in every market. They were my favorite snack, and I brought home a bunch to give away as gifts. We also picked up dried persimmon, senbei, and dried scallops.
Day 2 was a jam packed day that left me wanting more time to explore Seoul!
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