Out and About: 운현궁 Unhyeon Palace

 First palace of the trip, completely by accident.  I was going to have a look in 인사동 Insadong, when I decided to walk past the main street and go a bit further.

The weather was pretty bad.  Rain, snow, rainy snow, rain. Bits of sunlight here and there.

Explanation in Korean..

and in English.  

Perfect timing!!!  What's really good about 운현궁?  The fact that it is a tiny palace, so there wasn't any foreign tourists around (at that time).  It was nice and quiet.  Honestly, sometimes I don't know if I've come home, or accidentally gotten a plane for Japan or China.  It can get a bit unpleasant at times.  The only people here were a few office workers who had come out on their lunch break.

I really like the gardens.  It would have been great to see once in full bloom.

The details are amazing!

Contrast of old and new?

Yup.  There's now 10 cents in that wishing well.

I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to get away from the tourist crowds and enjoy the peace and quiet.  There's not a lot here in comparison to other places, but as I said, I really liked the quiet!  I did go to 명동 again after, because it was Missha Day, and I have held off buying anything Missha (other than the brush set), until now.  Only 20% this month, but still!  That was ridiculous.  The shop keepers bark at you in Japanese/Chinese, call out occasionally in Korean, and then all around you is Japanese and Chinese and it is just mad.  Not a fan of Myeongdong anymore, unless you go into the smaller alleyways.  This being said, I'm not saying all tourists are terrible.  I just wish they'd practice some proper etiquette, and remember that, even though they may be on holiday, this city is home to over 20 million people.