when they got here thursday, luke took them to the nearby park and botanical gardens where they all took a walk and saw some pretty stuff.
then, i took the day off friday and we took them to the korean war memorial, which has the history of how korea came to be, ranging from several hundred years ago to more recent times.
on saturday, we took a tour to the DMZ, where we actually stepped inside north korea and learned a lot about the history of the conflict and where the two koreas stand now. during this tour, we got to visit an observation deck where you can overlook the area of the DMZ, we got to go into one of the tunnels that the north dug to try to infiltrate the south even after the war ended, and we also got to visit the actual border where they have held talks and discussions, and see into and step into a small area of north korea. the DMZ itself is about 4 km wide, and in this area there is a lot of vegetation and wildlife that is almost extinct in the rest of the world, but is thriving there because it reamins untouched in this area. very cool.
this is the north korea "propaganda city" that used to broadcast messages over the border. very few people live here, but the north upkeeps it to show how "great" it is there.
this is a building in north korea. we stepped over the border inside the blue building to the left where many peace agreement talks have been held. the guys at the bottom of the picture are south korean soldiers, and the north korean soldier is on the top steps and inside the building.
i am actually IN north korea taking this picture. see the mics and the flag on the table? that represents the border. the soldier is a south korean soldier who stands at attention like that the whole time someone is in the room. cool!!!!!
this is a sculpture that represents the 2 koreas and the dream for them coming together again in peace someday.
on sunday, we took them to dongdaemun stadium where there are several little shops and a HUGE indoor flea market.
then we took the VERY crowded subway...
and met my friend darlene for a traditional korean dinner. SO MUCH FOOD!!!
uncle bill bought me a handmade flute from this guy and he taught me a little song right there on the street. :)
then, today before they left, we took them to gyongbokgung palace.
there are SO many more photos, but i just can't put them all here. all in all, it was a wonderful weekend and we had such a great time. it was really fun having visitors and being able to share this fun city with them.... who's next???
