Our visit to Gyeongbokgung palace. Here is Loralee outside the main gate. 

The mountains in the distance. 

Just inside the main entrance to the palace. 

A view of the ceiling of the throne room. Two golden dragons on the ceiling of the room. Dragons aren't really all that "Korean" per se - they're much more chinese. BUT, considering that the royals of ancient Korea were strongly influenced by chinese traditions and language, it's no surprise to see them here. 

Inside the great throne room of Gyeongbokgung palace. 

A painted canvas inside the royal viewing room of the palace. 

Steam vents in the royal hidden garden. 

Steam vents from the floor heating of Gyeongbokgung palace.Yup - these ancient palaces had floor heating! THAT's one thing Koreans have that's a totally wonderful luxury. 

A special pagoda where the king could be seen wandering alone at times. I forget its name. 

Here is a special steam chimney that depicts 10 symbols of longevity. 

A close up view of the Gyeonghwaeru. 

The mountains behind the royal palace. 

Loralee and I in front of Gyeonghwaeru at Gyeongbokgung. 

Loralee in front of the Korean Heritage Museum near Gyeongbokgung. 

Two monkeys. 

One monkey and one pabo. 

A goat. 

A horse. 

A snake. 

A dragon. 

A rat. 

Sushi. Delicious. Unfortunately, each and every sushi had a chunk of wasabi in it. This was not exactly... er... mild tasting. 

A shot through the handles on the subway. 

One of my students, Ally, baffled me the other day when she made this origami masterpiece. She's only 4 years old or so. Does this look complicated? Yes, it does! Do you think YOU could make it? No, you couldn't! :-) 

Angel Cleaning - for all your dirty, filthy angel needs.