Gwanghwamun Art Walk

We were randomly granted Thursday and Friday off this week, so Amanda and I took a little trip into Seoul yesterday.  Lonely Planet Seoul recommends a gallery walk from the edge of Insa-dong up and around the west side of Gyeongbukgong Palace, so we headed for Gwanghwamun Square. We arrived a few minutes before 3pm to find that the Palace was preparing for the "Changing of the Guards." Any tourist guide will attest that this ceremony is a must-see, so we stuck around to have a watch. 

On-Duty Guards preparing to change shifts.

The replacements, marching in.

Horn-blower above the main gate. He played a head-sized, speckled, horny conch shell.

 The guards' march was accompanied by a traditional Korean parade of musicians, which certainly added an air of regality to the ordeal. It felt like we had travelled to a different time as I wondered how people regarded this ceremony back in the day. Did it make them late? Was it like being caught in traffic? What if an enemy attacked during the procession? Did they tell them to wait?

Both sets of guards met face to face at the front gate, at which time the general of each group performed a ritual of motions to official change guardianship. Afterwards, Amanda and I got a couple of tourist shots.

Amanda with a guard in my favorite fuzzy dress.

A shot through the gate as the previous shift of guards files out.

We then proceeded toward our art gallery walk, which was pretty diverse and intriguing. I saw a Hirst Diamond Skull print, some incredible photography and even more impressive wall-sized, triple canvas paintings. I've been reading Tom Robbins lately and I must say that one artist's work eerily complimented his eclectic particulars.

Red Eyes

Chorus

When it got too dark and cold to continue our gallery walk, we headed to a VinPrime, a second-hand chain store in Seoul Express Bus Terminal. Thrift shops are few and far between here in Korea, so when we found this one last month, we were sure to remember it. The quality of clothes there tends to be above average compared to the States, and we grabbed some great finds. Myself, I purchased a mid-length pea coat, an angora shrug for my holiday party ensemble and a sweet brown leather, rabbit fur hip pack that speaks to my soul. I can't wait to take it back to Baltimore and bask in the fawning and flattery it is sure to evoke.