Deoksugung Palace was quite a surprise to me in the sense of how much I enjoyed it. Before visiting, I knew that I would be interested in the history of the palace and seeing how they lived but the excitement that I got from seeing the 'Changing of Guards' and the costumes really surprised me and my friends. I was seriously like a jumping up and down all over the place when they let us take photos of them.

If you happen to visit Deoksugung Palace, I would really recommend attending the 'Changing of Guard' ceremony that occurs 3 times a day - 11am, 2pm and 3:30pm. It is really quite an elaborate ceremony with a voice-over explaining what happens during portions of the ceremony in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. During the ceremony, there are opportunities for audience members to take photos with the soldiers and advisors. They actually actively encourage you to go up to the various groups of soldiers and are really willing to take photos for you.

Admission into the grounds is really cheap at roughly $1. When you walk onto the grounds, you are pretty much welcomed by a walkway with trees on either side. This would have been absolutely beautiful during the Spring but even during December, it looked great but then again I love landscapes even with barren trees. Looking around, it was really amazing to see the details that was placed onto the beams of the wooden structures and how intact everything appeared to be. Looking around the decorative pieces such as the barrier of the conference room really amazed me at how they were able create the piece back then and how we can now create those pieces with modern technology. Being on the grounds, it was amazing to imagine previous kings, queens and servants roaming the grounds that I was walking on and just admiring what they may have seen back then. Looking past the fences and seeing how built-up the Seoul was really emphasised how far Korea, and overall the world, has progressed in so many areas.

Deoksugung Palace really allowed me to reflect back on the past, admire the present and look toward the future. It was great being able to get out of the hustle and bustle of Seoul and have a place where you can just calm down and admire what is around you. When I do go back to South Korea, I would love to see the other palaces and compare them to each other as they differ in their own ways. Deoksugung Palace was definitely one of the highlights of my Seoul leg and I would really recommend that visitors go and take a look around.


Until next time, keep safe by always being aware of your surroundings and live how you want to :)