I had read so much about the Korean War, but this would take me deep into understanding the view points of the South Korean people.
Seoul's subway system designed to get you to many focal points of interest. It takes a few minutes walking to get to the War Memorial.
I was really enjoyed this Memorial. The outside pieces of heavy armory were very interesting to see up close. The inside rooms filled with stories of war were even more moving to see.
I was expecting to see only Korean War memorabilia, but it came as a surprise that this memorial has displays from all of the wars that ever fought in Korea.
The South Korean Government has done an excellent job of honoring the memory of those who fought so bravely during the Korean War. Not only Koreans, but those from all the United Nations countries who served and fought during the war, many of whom lost their lives in the cause of freedom, and to stop the Red Communism on its track!
Soon I entered the grounds, there was a stunning statue atop an open mound known as Brothers. It depicts two brothers hugging one another: one is an officer from South Korea, the other, a soldier and younger brother from North Korea. They meet on the battlefield and embrace. This statue displays a very powerful, pervasive and intense effects to the Korean people during this conflict and even to this day!
Inside the open mound are pictures and images that express the desire for reconciliation felt by all the Korean people. It also depicts the 16 UN nations that fought so courageously in this war.
The hall listing all the names of those who gave their lives for their country, was the most moving testimony of laying down one's life for the freedom.
On this 1st floor, there are paintings and panoramic displays illustrating many fierce battles fought against invading Mongol, Japanese and Chinese armies.
Many items are only vaguely dated, but there is a replica of one of Admiral Sun-sin’s famous iron-clad turtle warships called Geobukseon, which he used to defeat the Japanese navy in the 1590s.
Walking further inside, there is a humongous open area where planes, tanks, trucks, helicopters, artillery, rockets, mines, ammunition of all kinds, missiles, even the documents and uniforms are displayed.
Many of these were Korean, but there were also a wide variety of US, Canadian, Russian and Japanese planes, helicopters and tanks. The largest plane is a B-52 Stratofortress.
There are information plaques to identify each of these and what part they had played in the battle fields. The area is surrounded by beautiful flowers and ponds. There is also a battleship from the war that one can board and see the huge guns and ammunition that was used. The outside was simply magnificent.
There is also a museum with indoor displays that not only showcase the Korean Conflict, but also many other periods of war in history.
I was totally astonished by the information and artifacts that were being displayed in this museum so 4 hours passed by so quick.
It was almost noon after we left the War Museum. We had to hurry to catch another subway to get to the other side of Han river to visit the Namsan Seoul Tower.
We didn't have a whole lot of time so we'd like to try to eat in the tower's cafeteria. The dishes were ok, nothing special, only the price. It was more expensive than outside.
My wife ordered a seafood sweet rice plate. It looked plain and similar to Chinese fried rice except it was less greasy. It was basic, nothing spectacular beside the high charge.
The cafeteria is like a large food court, which could provide quick lunch for thousands of tourists quick. It was pretty much simple quick serve dish on the go.
I tried the famous Mul-Naengmyeon, which was served in an icy cold broth made from beef.
It was same thing, very basic, nothing spectacular except the price ... :-)
The tower sits atop Namsan Mountain.
We walked to the cable car station and looked up the mountain top. It wasn't that high so we chose to walk up instead, but there were quite a lot of stairs to climb.
On the way down, again we chose to go down by walk, so we could see all around the Namsan Park.
There are ice cream, coffee shops with lots of glass windows for viewing a big part of Seoul city and Han River from here. There is a beautiful restaurant here as well but the price for their foods is outrageous.
The most annoying part was the copycat of those European Love Lock Bridges, but there wasn't any bridge around here, so they set up some metal frames that looked like pine trees, from there people came and placed their locks, one on top of the others. In a way, they looked cute, but to some, they were an eyesore.
There are ice cream, coffee shops with lots of glass windows for viewing a big part of Seoul city and Han River from here.
There are more steps from here to Namsan Seoul Tower. I don't remember exactly how much we had to pay but you have to pay extra to get to the top, which offers spectacular, panoramic views of Seoul and the surrounding areas. The 360 view is so stunning that you can see the whole city.
At this level, you can walk around the glass windows to see the view below. This tower isn't very tall but it's tall enough to see miles away. There are souvenir shops here also, but no food or drink.
Below this viewing level, there is a beautiful restaurant here, which offers the best views as you dine, but the price for their foods is outrageous.
No comments:
Post a Comment