We slept in a bit. We were still adjusting to the new time and our calves were complaining about the hikes. We eventually found a cool breakfast place and had a leisurely morning. Then we set off for Changdeokgung Palace. Hundreds of years and millions of people have visited this place. The stories this place could tell.
It was only three stops away on the metro. Rain was forecast and rain was threatening as we started our tour. We came here early to get tickets to the Secret Garden. The online tickets were sold out, but 50% are reserved for walk-ups. Anything called "Secret Garden," sounded like it was meant for us to discover. We took a leisurely tour of the palace, and then to an adjoining palace, Changgyeonggung Palace.
The rain started coming in heavy sheets. There is a time when traveling and confronting the weather that one has to decide if rain will drive you indoors or drive you forward. We chose to embrace the wet. We hurried from building to building waiting for moments when the droplets seemed less and then scurrying into the next doorway.
It was time to visit the secret garden, which requires a guided tour. So we gathered in the rain huddled under umbrellas and rainjackets like a school of carp. The rain intensified and there was no place to find shelter. By the time the tour ended the map in my pocket was a wad of wet pulp. The rain could not dampen the truth that these gardens were beautiful.
There was more palace to see, but the squeaking of our shoes told us it was time to find somewhere indoors to visit.
We rapidly shifted our plan and headed for The War Memorial of Korea. It is both a memorial and a museum. It was a 30-minute train ride. We chose to stand so that we would not make a surprise for the next occupant of our seats. It felt good to be out of the rain. We arrived and then paddled out into the wet again to approach the museum. We finally reached the shore, stripped off our rain jackets, and stored them in the free lockers. The museum was also free! We had about an hour and a half. We concentrated on the 1950s and America's involvement in Korea, but also got a brief history of Korean dynasties and the Japanese hostilities. It is a sobering and insightful museum.
We were some of the last people to leave as the closing time came and we floated back out into the water. We were hungry, tired, wet and steamy. So we headed for a fried chicken place (it's a thing in Korea) that we had seen before going to the museum, but they were out of Chicken. We eventually settled for a pizza which was so good. It was hard to get upthe energy to leave the building. The wind was out of our sails and we did not want to batten down the hatches and head out into the storm again, but it was the only way back to our safe harbor. So out we went.
It has been a good wet day.
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