Palaces of various kinds

For today we have reserved tickets for Changdeokgung Palace and its garden (huwon). At 10:30 am the tour of Huwon also known as secret garden begins, as only the king and his family had access to this garden. The entire palace complex, especially the garden, was designed to be as natural as possible. The buildings should blend into nature, not the other way around. You can easily get lost in the garden, it is a huge facility with wonderful pavilions, ponds and a tree population that amazes me. Just for this it is definitely worth a visit!

Unfortunately, it is raining quite a bit during the tour (the garden can only be visited with a guided tour, free visits are not possible). In 2 weeks the garden will probably awaken in full glory, now many things are still in delicate and therefore less visible buds. But in autumn the garden is supposed to show itself from its most beautiful side, when the leaves are colored in all shades of red and yellow. We do not regret the visit, even though there are certainly better times. After that we visit the extensive palace complex, which was used as the main residence of the kings of the Joseon Dynasty in addition to Gyeonbokgung. The palace has been destroyed several times (naturally also by the Japanese), but also by natural disasters such as fire. However, the palace was completely renovated at the beginning of the 20th century - even to the extent that some buildings from other palaces were brought into Changdeokgung (I don't quite understand this approach, but it's good for us because we could only visit this one palace).

Visiting the palace and the garden takes half a day. After a failed attempt to find the tent restaurants, we take a walk along the Cheonggyecheon Canal. Entire streets were demolished to beautify this river course - but it is worth it, as it is a wonderful place for a walk in the city without having to walk on the street. The sun is back, but the damp and cold start to the day is in our bones and we decide to bring forward tomorrow's plan and go to the Korean spa: the jjimjilbang. We are aware that there may be some people there on Sunday, but now nothing can stop us.

The procedure is quite simple: you pay at the entrance, you get a cotton t-shirt and short pants. Men and women go to separate areas. First, you put your shoes in the shoe compartment and lock it. The key from the shoe compartment is handed in at the counter in the women's area. You receive a new key for the locker room and two small towels. By now I realize that Stef and I have not agreed on a meeting point and time. Even worse: my wallet is in the backpack with Stef and I can't buy shampoo, etc. The fact is that you have to undress first and then wash yourself quite thoroughly. Then you can go to the baths (37-40 degrees, as well as cold water bath). Then you can also go to the sauna. For this, you put on the pajama-like clothes that you received at the entrance. And understood correctly: except in the sauna, you are completely naked at all times. Sundays are quite busy, but still better than a rainy day at the hamam in Zurich.

Okay, since I can't buy shampoo, I won't wash my hair. But it also means that I have to use one of the soap bars for body wash that all the other women there also need. Hmm, don't think about it. So I sit in the washing room with about 60 other women of all ages and scrub myself thoroughly before going to the baths. Then dry off and switch to the pajama mode - luckily I meet Stef in the meeting lounge. Then we go to the sauna: there are different temperatures - from 22 degrees to 86 degrees there is something for every taste. Very interesting selection options, such as salt sauna or charcoal sauna, are available. After a few hours in the jjimjilbang, we have enough hunger for another pork belly barbecue - this time a recommendation from a South Korean woman we met in China. It was a successful day!