Cambridge, England

What a fantastic place to visit!  The architecture, the history, the culture, the intelligence, the fun, the music, the high-90 degree heat with humidity and no air conditioning anywhere, and some really terrific relatives .... awesome.  A beautiful place.

 Hatfield House - home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family. The Estate has been in the Cecil family for 400 years.

Cardboard boat race on the Cam River

The Polar Museum - The Domes

RAF Bar with the historic ceiling (and where DNA understanding was developed)

A phone booth now used as a neighborhood book exchange

Posting a letter

Percy Pig candy

A beautiful concert at King's College - J.S. Bach - was exceptional.

Just being among all this beauty was a treat.

Seoul, South Korea (final)

I spent the day on a tour of the DMZ and the JSA.  I highly recommend, if you ever go to South Korea.  You have to book the JSA tour at least 3 days in advance (to obtain approval from the US government), and you are escorted by US Army soldiers the entire time.  No pictures of South Korea are allowed; no pointing; no eye contact; conservative dress. 

Nowhere is the tension between North and South Korea more palpable than in the no-man’s-land known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. As a divided nation, only 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) separate the North from the South in what is the most heavily armed border on earth. The 150-mile (241-kilometer) zone has served as a buffer since the 1953 cease-fire agreement between the United Nations and North Korea that put the Korean War on hold. Even with its past, the area is quite safe for tourists.

The DMZ can only be visited as part of an organized, guided tour, during which travelers get the chance to see the Joint Security Area, also known as Panmunjom, where the North and South met for peace talks during the war. Here travelers can see both North Korean and South Korean soldiers each guarding their respective sides of the DMZ.

You even get an opportunity to stand on the the North Korea side of the border! (which is very unsettling). 

At the DMZ you have an opportunity to walk down Tunnel 3 .... but be aware - it is an 11% grade in and OUT.  ha.

We made a stop at the Dora Observatory and Dorasan Train Station enroute. 

Dora Observatory is on the South Korean side of the 38th parallel. Situated on top of Dorasan (Mount Dora), the observatory looks across the Demilitarized Zone. It is the part of South Korea closest to the North.

Seoul, So Korea (continued)

Today was a trip to the War Memorial of Korea. The Memorial is exceptionally well done and I learned a lot. 

The Korea Peace Bell - a wish for true freedom and peace

Some of the Artillery on display

The Statue of Brothers is an 18-meter wide and 11-meter high symbol of he War.

 We had intended to follow this up with a trip to the National Museum of Korea, which would have been really nice, but I pooped out and we went back to the hotel to rest for dinner.

Dinner was authentic Korean BBQ, which was really good, followed by a walk around Gangnam.  There are some very unique, impressive buildings in this area.

Dessert was ice cream ...

Seoul, South Korea

I am here for a week visiting with my son (he's here on business).  It is a 13 hour flight from LAX ( I got to cross another thing off my bucket list by flying first/business class).  American, in all their rationalization, takes the flight from LAX to Dallas/Fort Worth before heading to Korea, so the flight was over 21 hours including the lay-over.  It was my first time to enjoy the Admiral's Club, so that was a nice treat.

Since it was about 40 hours since I'd slept, Friday was low-key with walks around the immediate area of the hotel (JW Marriott) and to bed early. I did make a several-hour visit to the Express Bus Terminal Market, a traditional Korean market place located in the underground passage of the subway.

Saturday was "hit the ground running" and we saw some amazing sights.

The N Seoul Tower - on top of Namsan Mountain, is the best location to see the city of Seoul.  The Tower is the 10th highest tower in the world.  You get to the tower either by cable car or walking; the observatory by way of an elevator.  On a clear day .....

The painting on the buildings is exquisite

Then onto Bukchon Hanok Village - This district between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace is packed with over 900 Korean traditional houses.  Members of the royal family and noblemen lived here during the Joseon Period.













The highlight of the day was Gyeongbokgung Palace - Built in 1395, this was the main royal palace and heart of the Joseon Dynasty for 500 years.  The National Palace Museum of Korea, which showcases royal culture, and the National Folk Museum of Korea, where the life cycles of Koreans in the olden days can be observed, are within the grounds.  There were a lot of Koreans, mostly women, dressed in the traditional costume, which made walking around especially nice.

 

Dinner was at Din Tai Fung for Dim Sum, followed by some frozen milk at O'slo.  Yum.










"The haechi, protector of Seoul"