Saturday, a very busy day

 Our friend, Jihee joined us today.  We met Jihee when she was a student at North Dakota State University.  She came to Fergus Falls as part of an ecology group to work at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center on a cleanup day.  We became friends and she would travel from Fargo to Fergus Falls to spend the weekend with us. In Korea, she invited us to travel there and so we did it.

It was a clear bright day as we awoke so we want to share the view from our room at the hotel.

Our first visit of the day was to the Gyeongbokgung Palace.  It was the main palace of the Joseon dynasty and was built in 1395.  It stood at the heart of the capital city.  It was destroyed in 1592 and then rebuilt.  A total of 500 buildings were included in the site.  In 1910 the Japanese occupied Korea and destroyed the palace once again.  Since 1990 the palace has been rebuilt once again and is almost complete.

 This is a special retreat for the emperor and is surrounded by a lovely reflecting pond.  The guide book states that the name Gyeongbok means "The new dynasty will be greatly blessed" and gung means "Palace".

This the throne room of the dynasty.

Sue in one of the courtyards.

A building used as a site for entertaining foreign envoys and leaders.

Re-enactors show historical characters just as the American Civil War has soldiers for both sides of the conflict.

We were on our way to view a folk opera when we came across a changing of the guard ceremony at the Deoksugung Palace.  It went on for about fifteen minutes and was fascinating to watch.

This video, just over a minute in length, shows some of the pageantry.  Also, does it remind anyone of the marching in the "Wizard of Oz"?

A traditional theatre telling the story of two lovers separated and finally reunited.  It was a spectacle of dance, acting, costuming and music. They did not allow photography of the musical event itself so this hallway promotion has to do.

The heroine, on left, and hero posed after the performance.

 So we had to get into the act. The actor on the right was the "bad guy".


Across the street from the traditional theatre was the Chong Dong Methodist Church.  These folks were giving away coffee and tea and their banner read "Jesus loves you!" in Korean.  They had a man with a microphone telling the gospel story near this picture.  Quite different from the main-line Christian denominations in the USA. After some conversation, they gifted us with a CD of music they have recorded.

As we returned home, we observed these "dancers" held aloft by the crane.

Trip to and arrival in Seoul, Korea

We are ready to leave for the airport in Seattle to fly first to San Francisco on Delta Airlines and then on to Seoul, Korea, on Singapore Airlines.  We thought that we did not have enough time in San Francisco to go out of security to fetch our luggage and then back through security.  So we opted to travel as you see it, just a carry-on bag and a small underseat bag.  Well, it turned out that the airport does not have common terminals so we went through security anyway. 

We cannot say enough about this airline.  We had meals served, snacks often and if a Coke or coffee was wanted it came immediately.  We had entertainment screens with more options that one could ever want.  The flight attendants were courteous to a fault.  It made the eleven hour flight as nice as could be wanted.

Our first view of Korea.  The lines were short and it went well.

One of the flight attendants posed with Sue at the baggage claim.  The whole crew is remarkably fit and beautiful.

This fellow was waiting for us at the airport to take us to the motel.  He had to wait an hour and a half for us to clear security and customs.  He was very patient.

 We went into the streets around the hotel the next morning after a good nights sleep.  Fortunately, it was time for all to go to bed.  As you will see, there is not much English on signs and directions.  The map works well.

 We saw lots of student-aged persons enter this restaurant.  For us, if we were interested, only a picture to hint at the menu.  This reminded Al of his time in the Navy when his ship was in Japan. 

If you look carefully, you will see "School Food" in the window of the restaurant.  Perhaps this is what Michelle Obama has in mind?

This is Insadong street with the hotel looming in the background.  Suddenly it began to rain and we ducked into a small convenience store.  A worker put out a display of umbrellas and they sold fast.  We have one furnished in our motel room but we had to walk back when the rain ceased for a while.

These eleventh graders stopped us for part of a school project.  They had to get the signatures of foreign tourists and a bit about them.  They asked us if we were Americans and said that my hat gave us away.

We found that the Korean Tourist Agency had volunteer guides available and so we met Mr. D.H. Kim.  So we went out into the evening for some adventures.

He took us to a "traditional" Korean dinner.  It was very good and was heavy on vegetables, mushrooms, noodles and some fish.

We walked into a Buddhist compound where a service was underway.  We stood at the door and took this photo without flash.

We walked to Hanok village where these traditional homes are located.  As we walked, the streets were empty.  Quite different that the Insadong area.

Washington Ferry to Kingston

We decided to visit Kingston, Washington, located across the Puget Sound from Edmonds.  There are many ferries crossing the sound, especially from Seattle.  Here we are going aboard.

 

Motorcycles, cars, trucks and even tour buses use the ferry.  

 

This is looking north on Puget Sound.

 

A pair of ferries move passengers and vehicles across the Sound.

 

Approaching Kingston.

 

 Exiting at Kingston, a thirty minute ride.  The ferry can handle hundreds of passengers with seating on the main deck and also on an upper deck.  There was a canteen aboard where food and drink could be purchased.

We were prepared to find a small town, away from tourist areas, and we found it.  Thousands of vehicle pass through every day but few stop. 

Anna always needs to check out the pet stores.

 

We had a meal at the Ale House and it was delightful.  A back patio provided a view of the water.

 

Lovely flowers are everywhere.

 

After a nice day, it was time to go home.

 

Our host, Anna.

What do you do on Sunday?

We attended the North Sound Vineyard Church which is located about two miles from Anna's home.  I located it by an Internet search.  They lease space in a former lumber yard building.

The church was started about eight years ago. 

The pastor is also the lead musician in the praise band.  During the regular service he announced that the building has been sold and they would conclude their time there in November.  They will take a three months break to see what God's plan is for them.

 Good ideas are wherever they are found.  This is a "Benevolence Bag" 

Description.

What else do you do on a Sunday?  Of course you may watch football in a "fan cave" that Chris has created.  He is a die-hard Cowboys as well as a Red Sox fan.  How do you explain that for a fellow who grew up in Virginai?

Of course there is a second large TV screen that Al had to us as it would have been "left out".

Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia

  Today we moved from Seattle to Victoria, BC, by ferry. We started out is fog and that lasted most of the way.  Breakfast may be purchased or one may bring what they want with them which we did.  

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 This is the Victoria Clipper returning to Seattle.  It will make a another run and will return at about 6:00 PM.

The package includes a one-night stay at the Inn at Laurel Point.  It is very close to the ferry landing and also downtown Victoria.  There is a nice walk next to the water that leads most of the way downtown.

 The city of Victoria was founded in the early 1800s and saw a great boost in population and commerce with the Fraser River Gold Rush.  It has always had a strong tie with the Pacific Ocean that is accessible through the Strait of Juan de Fuca which we crossed coming from Seattle.  There is still a lot of maritime activity.

 Persons called Native Americans in the USA are called Indigenous in Mexico and points south.  Here today a learned of a new name, that of First Nations.  A member of the Cowichan Tribe, master carver Cicero August carved this totem in 1990.  A plaque reads, “The loon, fisherman, bone game player and frog represent lessons of the past and hope for the future.”

 A strip of the bayside walk is dedicated to First Nation craftsmen and women for selling their work.

 The Fairmont Empress Hotel was built in 1904 with additions later for  the Canadian Pacific's steamship line, whose main terminal was just a block away. Later as the Canadian Pacific ceased its passenger services to the city, the hotel was successfully remarketed as a resort to tourists. Victoria emerged as a tourist destination beginning in the mid-to-late 1920s.  Note “Plasterman” in the foreground.  A man holds very still and people wonder if he is “real”.  Then he moves!

 We found some interesting tree sculptures.

 This is Bastion Square, a shopping neighborhood with a lot of specialist artists.  What did Sue lose?

 We made a stop for lunch at a McDonalds and as we were eating a very special woman walked in dressed totally in white.  She sat down near us and soon we were in a spirited conversation.  She has deep religious convictions and we found a very special person.  She agreed to meet us for dinner at a very nice resturant.

As the sun set, the British Columbia Parliament building lights up.  What a sight!  I worked hard to get some kind of a photograph and it was almost beyond the ability of my camera.