Deoksugung Palace | Seoul, South Korea

Welcome to Deoksugung Palace (덕수궁), the "palace of virtuous longevity"!

This was our very first palace experience. Like many experiences that we have, we actually just happened to run into this palace on our way to a larger palace. Haha! Figures, right? That is our style.

We visited Deoksugung Palace on Valentine's Day. The weather was great and the sun was warm. Ethan had booked a hotel in Seoul the night before, which gave us the entire day to adventure around Seoul, doing whatever our hearts desired. We spent about an hour and a half at Deoksugung and I think that was plenty of time to walk around and see the grounds. You could probably see this palace in an hour if you don't ahem... have a photographer in your crew stopping to take photos every few steps.

Entrance to the palace is 1,000 won for adults and 500 won for children. Super cheap! But wait! Before you buy your tickets, consider if you'll be visiting the other palaces in Seoul as well. If so, you may want to purchase the multi-pass for only 10,000 won. You'll be able to visit three other palaces including Changdeokgung Palaces (including Huwon and the Secret Garden), Changgyeonggung Palace, Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine. 

I imagine the palace grounds are more beautiful in early summer when everything is green. There is also a small pond on the grounds, as well as a fountain. Both were winterized during our visit. I'd highly recommend scheduling your visit when the foliage is out to get the most out of your trip!

The architecture is pretty incredible. Visitors are not allowed in most of the buildings, hence the blockade in front of the openings shown above. But you are able to see inside simply by leaning in. The interiors are quite open and spacious and made mainly of wood.

Deoksugung is the only palace that borders alongside western style buildings. These solar panels provide a stark contrast, especially because they can be seen from inside the palace walls.

Just for some perspective, some of the doors were quite short! My hubby is 6'2"!

Isn't it odd to see the old style architecture in the foreground and big city buildings in the background?

The National Modern Art Center is also on the grounds.

"Gwangmyeongmun Gate | Gwangmyeongmun Gate was originally the south gate to Hamnyeongjeon Hall, sleeping quarters of the king. It was moved to its present location when the west wing of Seokjojeon Hall was expanded in 1938 to be used as the Yi Royal-Family museum. Inside the gate are the Clepsydra of Changgyeonggung Palace (National Treasure No. 229), the Bronze Bell with Inscription of "Hyeongcheonsa Temple" forged in 1462 (Treasure No. 1460), and a multiple rocket launcher that can fire 100 arrows at the same time using gunpowder. "

"Junghwajeon Hall served as the main throne hall of Deoksugung Palace and was used for ceremonial occasions such as coronations and receiving foreign envoys."

"It was originally built with a two-tiered roof in 1902, however it burned down in 1904 and was rebuilt as a single-tiered structure in 1906.

A throne and folding screen are seen on the high platform. The wooden folding screen with an openwork design features peony patterns while the higher folding screen behind the throne shows patterns of the sun, the moon, and the five mountains. The sun and the moon represent a king an a queen, respectively. The five mountains symbolize the land of the dynasty. This painting also speaks for the king's authority that extends over the whole world. A carved wooden canopy stands over the throne and is decorated with carved dragons, which are shown on the ceiling of the hall as well."

I took this panorama by taking sequential portrait orientated shots, in order to photograph the widest area possible, starting at one side of the room and rotating my torso around, pausing to shoot each time, and finishing on the opposite side. I later stitched the images together in Photoshop. Pretty cool!

Often hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, is worn at the palace sites. Entrance is free is you wear your hanbok! It's not uncommon to see people, especially young people, wearing this beautiful and elaborate attire. 

Undol is a form of a floor heating system.

This last photo is kind of special. The guards were unmoving and people were standing by them and taking photos without really acknowledging them. Both Ethan and I took photos by the guards, and as I made eye contact with the guard, I bowed my head slightly in thanks. He did the same.

I hope you enjoyed seeing our visit to Deoksugung Palace! We certainly did. It was a great "first palace" and definitely worth checking out if you have some free time in your schedule and are around the City Hall area. Really, an hour spent here would probably be plenty.

The Details

• What: Deoksugung Palace

• When: 09:00-21:00

• Where: 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 중구 세종대로 99 (정동)

• Cost: 1000W for adults, 500W for children

The Wal'z & Joypia Dog Cafe in Gangnam | Seoul, South Korea

It seems like there is a cafe on every corner here in South Korea. They are quite literally popping up everywhere! Serving not only your favorite latte, but fresh smoothies, and my absolute favorite beverage, bubble tea! in addition to foods to munch on such as bagels, muffins, and cheesecake slices. With such a saturated market, it's no surprise that some cafes have resorted to a different approach in order to draw customers to their shops. 

In this case, puppies are the incentive to stop into this corner cafe in the renowned Gangnum district of Seoul. Like us, customers will actually seek out this shop in order to spend a couple of minutes of their day with these adorably fluffy friends.

The Wal'z Dog Cafe in Seoul has a nice atmosphere and is especially great if you're a tiny dog lover. They have at least five to ten pups in the main area running around and playing with the customers.  The dogs are well groomed and relatively friendly. Visitors will also bring their own dogs to play, so it has a dog park-like atmosphere.

The tables fill quickly. When you enter, you go through a door and then a gate designed to keep the dogs from darting outside. The 'waiter' will find you a seat. From there, you're expected to go up to the counter and place your beverage order.

We did find this cafe a little disappointing, as we were expecting larger dogs, which are much less popular in South Korea. Many Koreans live in high rises with smaller floor plans than in the states, which are less suitable for larger breeds. It's also difficult to spend any amount of time with one pup, as they are very incentivized by treats, which are available to purchase. If anyone in the room has food, all of the dogs will crowd that one person, which can be a bit of a downer when you're petting a pup and it walks off. No love here for attention here, only treats. Ha!

The dogs treats that are available for purchase. No other food is allowed or served in the cafe.

The drinks here were great. I ordered a fresh banana smoothy, which was very good. Ethan had a strawberry yogurt smoothy. It did take them awhile to serve the drinks after we ordered, but we watched the dogs play while we waited. The drink prices range from 5000-11000 won, and about 5000 cheaper than that if you order take out. Essentially, you're paying to be in the cafe with the dogs. 

The cafe does have an extensive doggy boutique. You'll find tons of dog outfits, fur clips and accessories, collars, leashes, bags to carry your pouch around, and more. Side note: I didn't see much for larger dogs, which seems to be a trend in South Korea in both humans and dogs. No large sizes here!

Overall, the entire experience definitely had a commercial feel, which put a damper on our visit. If this cafe had larger dogs, it would certainly be more appealing, especially to tourists visiting from western countries. I'd recommend stopping in only if you're in the area. I honestly wouldn't bother seeking out this dog cafe unless you're a small dog fan. 

I noticed that the cafe is located right next to what appears to be a veterinarian and/or groomer called Medi Pawz. I believe the cafe actually has space available for lodging, in case you need someone to watch your pup. I noticed a back room with more small dogs, but don't quote me on that.

The Details

• What: The Wal'z & Joypia Dog Cafe in Gangnam

• When: 8:00AM - 11:50PM

• Where: 서울특별시 Gangnam-gu, Yeoksam 1(il)-dong, 역삼로 134

• Cost: 5000-11000 won per drink, you must purchase a beverage to occupy a seat and hang out with the pups!