Cheonggyecheon

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful stream that ran through the center of the town. The stream was very important to its people spiritually and also served as a physical and cultural boundary line. As the town grew, however, more and more space was needed for roads and buildings. And the younger generations didn't find the stream as significant as their elders did. Technology seemed grander than nature. And so slowly, section by section, the stream was turned into road.

Then one day, the people looked around and noticed that the stream was no more. Concrete now stood firmly where their once beloved water flowed freely. And this made the people sad.

But wait, the younger generation said. Our technology made the stream disappear. Now let us put all our inventions to work to rebuild it and make it grand again. And so they did.

This was the grand reopening and rededication of the Cheonggyecheon, or the beloved stream that was lost but rebuilt. It stretches the length of the city and has twenty-two bridges that cross it. It is now a place for all people, young and old, to stroll and dip their feet into the water and to display their crafts. J and I were fortunate enough to be there on this weekend when over a million people came to see the water turned back on.

J and I with palace guard

Yes, I know the picture is sideways, however, when I rotate it, it gets all skwunched (my word), and I come out looking like a short, fat troll...and while the short and fat part might be true, I could really do without having to look like a troll, as well. So just rotate your heads instead.

Palace grounds

Gyeongbokgung Palace

This is a palace from the Joseon Dynasty, circa 1395. It used to cover a massive amount of territory with 3/5 of its area extending into what is now North Korea.

This palace has been destroyed twice by the Japanese: once during the Japanese Invasion of 1592, and again during World War II.

This palace is the birthplace of the Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, which was created over a eight-year period and officially proclaimed in 1446. Prior to this time, Chinese was the official written language although Hangul was spoken. To this day in Korea, many signs appear in both Hangul and Chinese.

with music

a grand celebration, with all the community joining in.

then the wedding feast!

tea is exchanged

the ceremony is officiated by nobles.

she takes her place on the opposite side of the table. there is no contact between the two during the ceremony.

the brides are led in.

he takes his place at the table and holds a screen in front of his face.

the groom arrives on a horse

The families await.

The area is set.

traditional music

This is the music that drew us in. On the top of each of their heads is a ribbon that they swirl around by moving their heads. Think of the ribbons used during gymnastics floor routines.

Traditional Korean Wedding

J and I totally lucked out. We were out bike riding one morning, and heard music coming from a park. Being naturally nosy...er, curious, we decided to check it out. It turns out that the twelve dongs (villages) get together once a year and throw a wedding for people who cannot afford one. And this just happened to be that day of the year. We were fortunate enough to be able to witness 5 weddings take place that day.

In front are the brides in traditional costume. Grooms are immediately behind them.

Burger King

Yes, Burger King and McDonald's have penetrated the Far East. There aren't as many of them over here as there are in the States, but they are pretty popular restaurants wherever they are found.

More market

This is more of the downtown area.

Our town: Uijeongbu

This is one view of the market area downtown. Uijeongbu is a pretty large town with a population of about 300,000. This is only one of the market areas. It's the one closest to our neighborhood, so it's the one we tend to visit.