San Francisco

Our days in San Francisco were mostly rest and relaxation.  We did find that the Fleetweek activities were on so we enjoyed an airshow.  This group consists of private individuals who use retired T33 military trainers for exhibition flights.  The Golden Gate Bridge is in sight.

This is a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.

Several famous aerobatic  pilots were in the show with this stunt where the plane had hung by its propeller and then released into normal flight.

This is a USAF Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor

United Airlines demonstrated the Boeing 747-400

The US Navy Blue Angels Demonstration Team was staying at our hotel and this Marine Corps pilot member of the team posed with Sue. 

The Blue Angels

Watching the Blue Angels from a Fisherman's Wharf restaurant.

Al has been visiting the Wharf since 1955.

The USS Pampanito on permanent display at the Wharf.  Al never wanted to serve on submarines.

Visiting Suwon, Korea

This is Sue's father who was based at the Suwon Air Force base from 1952 to 1953.  He photographed a number of historic sites around the Suwon area.  This day was set aside to retrace his steps and the photos that he made.

Hwaesong Fortress

 

Our first visit was to the Hwaseong Fortress.  To read more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwaseong_Fortress

We started walking along the wall starting on the green hill and proceeded to the north on the inside of the wall.

We approached the gate area which Al believed was the one that Frank photographed in 1952.

But after some inspection, we found that this was not the gate as it had been badly damaged during the war.

This, we believe, was the actual gate, now under reconstruction.  They really get serious about reconstruction as the steel beams are visible supporting the structure.

Yungneung tomb and temple of King Jangjo
Of the historical sites around Suwon, Frank visited a tomb of two kings who reigned in the 18th century.  These are the two kings King Jangjo (1735-1762) and King Jeongjo (1752-1800).  He took some 35mm slides which have held their color over the years.
 

 An example is this where he was posing in front of a pavilion used by the royalty to show respect to their ancestors.

Sue standing in the same relative spot.

Sue, Jihee and our guide and enabler are examining a stair used by royalty in the past to get to the upper level which was reserved for them.  The point of examination shows damage from bullets and a fungus that grows and can damage the relics.  Removal of the fungus can have deleterious effects on the artifact.
 
One day Al was checking on this site when he came upon a blogger who had visited the site said that people cannot get next to the figures  Al put the photos onto an iTouch.  When we arrived at the site, we showed the photos to a person at the gate and they made an exception.  So we were given special permission to reprise the photos with Sue standing approximately where Frank had posed in 1952. 
 

A side view of the tomb.  

Note the abundance of trees around the site now as compared to 1952.
 

Frank, on left, and a friend pose with a warrior thought to guard the king.  On the left is a figure of a scholar.

The fungus problem has been around for a while.

Posing with the warrior.

We went to the peak of a hill nearby and were able to look over Suwon and the air base where Frank served.  There were Quonset huts in some of the photos that he took and they seem to still be there.


 
We went to a temple related to the same king.  
 

 A building withing the complex, still in active use as a Buddhist temple

All in all, a great day and success with one of our major objectives.

Korean War Memorial and Tower

Korean War Memorial

This is the entrance  to the Memorial with the Brothers statue in the background.  It denotes North and South Korean soldiers who happen to be brothers but were separated politically.

A magnificent building with the power to honor those who fought in the Korean War.

Flags of those countries who offered armed forces, and medical and materiel support.

This is an internal diorama showing the suffering of the Korean people during the war.

A diorama which shows soldiers offering support to people.  This is included as a salute to Sue's Dad who served in the Korean War and often provided support to orphans.

Mr Balloon Man made the balloon "flower" for Sue.

A salute to the Navy.

A salute to the Army and Marines.

A salute to the Air Force and a view of Tower on Mt Namsan where we went next.

Mount Namsan Tower

Sue is finding us the route to the top.

The view from the top.  This tower is at the geographical center of Seoul.  One may look in any direction as see the same extent of buildings.

It turns out that the top of the tower is a place for lovers.  The bench has slippery slats and a couple sits close whether they want to or not.

Padlocks are painted and marked with messages stating the present feelings for someone or the yearning to meet some person that is just "right".

These are "Love Lock" trees, our term for these creations.


Al was interested in this wall which was on one side of the road from the bus stop to the tower.  It turns out that this wall dates from 1395 AD, the beginning of the Joseon dynasty that lasted until 1910 and the Japanese occupation of Korea.  As the bus descended, Al noted that this only the top of a steep wall to repel invaders.