Saturdays at the Palace

This blog is coming to you at approximately Sunday Afternoon in an apartment in Anyang.
Yesterday was spent in Insadong where we toured the Gyeongbokgung rather known as the "Palace of Shining Happiness." By the end of the day my feet were sore from breaking in new clogs and my eyes hurt from deciphering so much detail on the palace ceilings.
Instead of rewriting the entire history of the palace and the dynasty I have discovered a lazy way to transfer information.

The palace was of course spectacular but I have to say the sandwich I consumed after was almost as wonderful. Although the mozzarella could have been thicker it was still a welcome dose of Panini. In other news I am taking specimens for when I get to design my own home and especially lay tile and wall decor. Inspiration comes from the strangest places. I am not a huge fan of Korean aesthetics. It is important to hold appreciation for the cultural architecture and what not, I simply know it is not in my taste. I was interested to learn about Geomancy (pungsu) which is the Chinese equivalent of feng shui. It is the art of remaining in physical harmony with the universe. Often if people find their lives to be in disarray (business is doing poorly, the kim chi isn't fermenting or some other form of distress Koreans will call an actually geomancer to tell them how to arrange a room so that it may be more pleasing for spirits and energy to flow properly. This is the main building of the palace, where the King would traditionally sit and it is the first building you encounter after entering the main gate.
There is also the retreat in the back of the palace which is the structure pictured here. This site is where the King and Queen (emperors were never present in Korea, except for the Japanese) used as a retreat from chaos and commoners alike.