Happy Chuseok (추석), or Korean Thanksgiving! Everyone heads to their hometown, to celebrate with family and perform ancestral rites. And give each other expensive gift basket of spam and canola oil?
The whole city feels very empty. It's both eerie and cool. For the holiday, several of the Palaces were open for free, showcasing traditional Chuseok music and dance. We explored Deoksugung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine. Jonhmyo Shrine was my favorite of all our tourist stops so far. It was calm, without all the normal foot traffic, and very peaceful. It's a UNESCO site, since Korea is the only Confucian area that preserved its royal shrine and continues to conduct ancestral rites.
We also went bike riding with friends along the Han river. Tandem bike riding. Because that's normal here.
The whole city feels very empty. It's both eerie and cool. For the holiday, several of the Palaces were open for free, showcasing traditional Chuseok music and dance. We explored Deoksugung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine. Jonhmyo Shrine was my favorite of all our tourist stops so far. It was calm, without all the normal foot traffic, and very peaceful. It's a UNESCO site, since Korea is the only Confucian area that preserved its royal shrine and continues to conduct ancestral rites.
We also went bike riding with friends along the Han river. Tandem bike riding. Because that's normal here.
