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King Sejong of the Golden Age
Not far from the Grand Palace, is the great golden statue of King Sejong sitting regally on his throne. He is the highly respected fourth King of the Joseon Dynasty.
I believe it was during his time when they call it the golden age in Korea. He was the driving force behind many inventions and in front of his statue, some of them are displayed such as the sundial, rain gauge and celestial globe.…
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A Naval Genius in Admiral Yi Sun-Sin
In Gwanghamun Square, Admiral Yi Sun-sin stands guard over the city of Seoul. He is considered a National Hero. I came by here see the 12.23 Fountain. This special number is to remember the 23 battles he fought with 12 warships. The fountain has water jets that rise up to 18 metres along with 300 smaller jets. That would have been a beautiful display.
But that night, there was no fountain. Maybe…
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How Seoul Got Rid of Traffic
How Seoul got rid of its traffic
A serene river flows right through the heart of Seoul. This is Cheonggyecheon. Quite simply, it is a great example of urban renewal. I came across this whilst walking around after dinner. Would you believe this used to be an expressway?
A very busy expressway that one will find in any major city. So, when the proposal was put forward to demolish the freeway and restore the almost dry…
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The Grandest Palace in South Korea
The Grandest Palace in South Korea
Realizing that many of the visitors seem to be headed towards left of the main palace, I did the same. There I came upon Sujeongjeon. Another grand looking and colourful palatial structure.
This entire building was used as the King’s bedroom in it’s time. It was also during King Sejong’s reign (1418 to 1450) that in one of his inspired moments, he developed the Korean Hangul writing system right…
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The Grandest Palace in Seoul
The Grandest Palace in Seoul
After a long day, I decided I really needed something to perk me up. The Nanta theatre was good fun the night before but this time I wanted to go grand! After hearing about Gyeongbokgung Palace, I am inspired. Of the five palaces in Korea, this one is the top of the pops. It wears the crown of both the biggest and also the grandest!
Constructed in 1394 by King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon…
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Korea's National Treasure No 1
Korea’s National Treasure No 1
I had mentioned Sungnyemun gate earlier as a passing remark. But I really should do more justice to it. I have only been made aware that it is after all Korea’s National Treasure No.1! And so this post is to remedy that oversight.
Sungnyemun gate is unofficially also known as Namdaemun Gate. Built in 1398, it is one of the original three main gates. As you would expect, important VIP’s were…
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The most famous show in Seoul
The most famous show in Seoul
After dinner in Myeongdong, easily a more upmarket area than Nandaemun market, I came across (quite unplanned) a sign advertising Nanta Theatre. I have heard about this from a Korean friend. But all she said to me is that it is an entertaining show. Not knowing much more than that, I walked upstairs to see what Nanta is all about. Interestingly, it looked like a cooking show?
Since I had nothing…
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My first day in Seoul
My first day in Seoul
Pulling into the driveway of the hotel, I felt like a celebrity in the limo like taxi. But I was jolted into remembering that I was here for work when I was handed the receipt!
Getting into Seoul, one word that kept popping up was . . . . Traffic. Unless you live in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, where a snail could make it across the road without getting turned into a mashed escargot,…
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Queen Nefertiti in Berlin
Queen Nefertiti in Berlin
Sze Wey convinced me that despite all the things we had already done in Berlin, and the list is long, the visit is not complete without visiting Museum Island. For historical buffs, this enclave of museums is absolutely the icing on the cake for a city with as much history as Berlin. This is no makeshift collection of items from a garage sale. Or a collection of mannequins dressed up in period…
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Giant Murals
One of the unique things about street art we noticed in Berlin are the giant murals. Splashed across the side of residential blocks, they not only bring colour to an otherwise plain wall but are a statement sometimes in itself. We wandered around all over Berlin looking for these pieces and as they are really scattered everywhere, we got to know a lot of the outer suburbs. The most famous of this…
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Views along the River Spree
Getting into the warm and toasty River cruise boat, it was a welcome relief from the cold and the light showers that was beginning to fall. Coffee was quickly conjured up and we settled in for the relaxing ride. Cruising the River Spree is the best way to see a lot of Berlin’s most important buildings in a genteel manner. Undoubtedly having a roof overhead is great protection from the elements…
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Alexanderplatz
The next morning, we woke up to an overcast day that looked so cold and damp, it made us want to crawl back into bed. But more sights of Berlin await us so we pushed our laziness to one side and drowned it with coffee. We then walked towards our now favourite mode of transport, the U-bahn. The inside of a subway which we thought looked quite charming. By now, we were getting quite comfortable…
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East Side Gallery - Fenced
East Side Gallery
The showers started again whilst we were at Suicide Circus and so we decided to head back over the railway lines. Despite the wet and cold, we consoled ourselves that Berlin in winter could be a lot worse! Fortunately, the showers did not linger and when we passed the train station towards East Side Gallery (where all the tourists are!), it had stopped completely. After being spoilt by…
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On the way to East Side Gallery
After the last post on sculpture, we saw another one on the way to the train station and this time, there was a lot more to like. Looking like two interlocking but broken chains, we were interested to learn that this one is actually called “Berlin”. They are created by the husband and wife team of Matschinsky-Denninghoff and Martin Matschinsky in 1987 and are meant to symbolize the brokenness…
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What do you see?
What do you see?
On the way to the station, we walk past this monument almost every day in Berlin. Located on Olof Palme Platz, right outside the aquarium, it is a most curious thing. The first day we saw it, we figured public road works have something to answer for here. They forgot to clean up after themselves when they finished digging up the road. Or maybe it is still going and they forgot to cordon off the…
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What is the symbol of Berlin? If you are unsure, then have a look around if you are ever in Berlin. You will see this bear that stands with its hands raised over its head at many, many locations. At first, I thought it was just the one. Then, you notice another. Then another. Then another. Then you figure out that there must be something to it. And then you find out the story of the Buddy Bears.
It all started with Klaus and Eva Herlitz who decided that Berlin needed a bit of street art. Bears was a safe choice and enlisting the help of artists, the Buddy Bear was born in 2001. About 350 of them were painted in different styles and placed all over the city. Initially, the bears were found in other poses but to me it appears that there was one clear favourite. After the event, the bears were sold with proceeds going to charity. And the new owners of these bears no doubt placed them in front of their premises all over the city.
I don’t know what to think of them. They seemed strange to me at first. But after a while, I guess they grew on me and it does brighten up the city especially some nondescript government buildings. Their pose also gives them a welcoming look. Then when it was time for us to leave, it grew on us enough that we actually got a Buddy Bear to take home with us back to Melbourne.
A Bear in Berlin What is the symbol of Berlin? If you are unsure, then have a look around if you are ever in Berlin.
Art on Bulowstrasse
After putting the man through the Berlin Philharmonic Survivor challenge last night (which he failed miserably and would have been instantly voted off the island), it was an easier task today. We were going to spend some time viewing the open art galleries of Berlin or in other words, Street art. Berlin has a reputation for this, not the least East Side Gallery, so there was plenty to see. The…
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