Happy Independence Day
229 years ago the Continental Congress declared independence from the British. I celebrated this year by having a Samuel Adams (brewer, patriot) Boston Lager on the roof of my apartment building and watching the 8th United States Army's fireworks display:
Unfortunately, I have seen the Washington, DC fireworks display a few too many times to be at all impressed by the 7 minutes of explosions. It's better than nothing, though. The 4th of July would seem empty without fireworks.
I spent the daylight portion of the today getting a minor sunburn. What could be more traditional than that? Today was the first day in a week that there wasn't a drop of rain. I journeyed through the Seoul district of Jongno. This area has lots of art galleries, small restaurants and interesting shops. After wandering through the area for a while I entered the palace grounds of Genjeongjeon. I saw the changing of the guard and walked around the grounds for an hour or two. As July 4th isn't a Korean Holiday (surprise, surprise) there was almost nobody there. The palace is located in downtown Soul, but it was very peaceful. I could hear my footsteps in the gravel as I walked from building to building.
As I walked back to the subway I came across Insadong, which I visited in February. The atmosphere was similar, although warmer by about 70°F (40°C). I found more notecards with designs by Lee Chul-Soo. I found these cards the last time I was there and loved the simple woodcuts.
After a long, hot day, I grabbed a falafel (thanks M for making me appreciate what I have) and waited for the fireworks.
Unfortunately, I have seen the Washington, DC fireworks display a few too many times to be at all impressed by the 7 minutes of explosions. It's better than nothing, though. The 4th of July would seem empty without fireworks.
I spent the daylight portion of the today getting a minor sunburn. What could be more traditional than that? Today was the first day in a week that there wasn't a drop of rain. I journeyed through the Seoul district of Jongno. This area has lots of art galleries, small restaurants and interesting shops. After wandering through the area for a while I entered the palace grounds of Genjeongjeon. I saw the changing of the guard and walked around the grounds for an hour or two. As July 4th isn't a Korean Holiday (surprise, surprise) there was almost nobody there. The palace is located in downtown Soul, but it was very peaceful. I could hear my footsteps in the gravel as I walked from building to building.
As I walked back to the subway I came across Insadong, which I visited in February. The atmosphere was similar, although warmer by about 70°F (40°C). I found more notecards with designs by Lee Chul-Soo. I found these cards the last time I was there and loved the simple woodcuts.
After a long, hot day, I grabbed a falafel (thanks M for making me appreciate what I have) and waited for the fireworks.
posted by tcw1138 at 2:36 PM
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