Soaring over Seoul

On Day 9, I reached a mountain ridge above Seoul on foot. On Day 10, I got above Seoul by leaving the ground. And I did it twice! In between taking to the air in the morning and again the evening, my spirit was soaring when I was wowed by some of Korea’s greatest treasures. It was a good day.

Seoul Grand Park

Gwacheon is a small city just to the south of Seoul. It might be like the Orlando of South Korea as it is home to a cluster of large-scale attractions. Many of the attractions make up Seoul Grand Park.

View from the Sky Lift, across the lake at Seoul Grand Park, to Seoul Land. Seoul Land is South Korea’s answer to the Magic Kingdom.

Visiting Gwacheon and Seoul Grand Park on Day 10 confused me a bit because it reminded me so much of when I went to ride on the Maokong Gondola on Day 3. The Maokong Gondola is in a mountainous area in southern Taipei. I took the subway to the Taipei Zoo to get there, but I didn’t actually go to the zoo. Gwacheon is in a mountainous area just south of Seoul. After taking the subway to Seoul Grand Park, I took the Sky Lift to Seoul Zoo, but I didn’t actually go to the zoo.

Oh right, I went to the Maokong Gondola the day after exploring Yangmingshan National Park in the mountains in the northern part of Taipei. I went to Seoul Grand Park the day after hiking in Bukhansan National Park in the northern part of Seoul. Can you see know why I kept getting Taipei and Seoul mixed up? Fortunately, there was an important difference. Because of weather, I never actually got to ride on the Maokong Gondola. It was smooth sailing at the Seoul Grand Park Sky Lift.

An erect creature in the Open Air Sculpture Park at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.

After I got off the Sky Lift at the main entrance to the Seoul Zoo, I walked up the hill to the National Museum Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. In addition to the main location here, the MMCA has 3 branches. 1 of the branches we actually saw previously. It was in the starkly Western building at Deoksugung, the 5th and final of Seoul’s grand palaces that I explored on my 1st 2 days in the city.

A collection of art in the Open Air Sculpture Park at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

I didn’t go inside the MMCA. I just took some pictures around the Open Air Sculpture Park.

I think this was a historical structure and not modern art. But you can never be too sure!

*Victoire de la Villetaneuse*, a 1965 sculpture in steel in French artist César Baldaccini.

*Flying Away*, a 1988 bronze by Korean artist Kim Chung-sook.

The Sky Lift flies over the Children’s Zoo at Seoul Grand Park. I took this picture on the ride back to the subway.

Pleasure-seekers flock to Seoul Grand Park. I took this picture to show how mountainous the region on the southern border of Seoul is.

*The Voice of the People*, a bronze casting produced after stacking up old and abandoned speakers.

Just outside Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon is the Gwacheon National Science Museum.

National Museum of Korea

From Seoul Grand Park, it was an easy subway ride back into the center of Seoul to visit the National Museum of Korea. My feet never left the ground at the museum like they did earlier and later in the day. But my spirit was soaring. It is a fantastic museum. I felt like it made up for the hard time I had enjoying the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

The Stele for Buddhist Preceptor Wollang is inscribed with the life story of a 9th-century Buddhist teacher. It can’t help but remind me of the Monument of Wongaksa at Tapgol Park.

Prehistory and Ancient History

Gilt-bronze crown with flame patterns, 5th-6th century (replica).

A warrior from the Gaya Confederacy, 1st-6th century.

Gold crown and girdle, National Treasures from the 5th century.

Gold crown ornament, another National Treasure from the 5th century.

Beautiful iron seated Buddha from 8th-9th century.

Medieval and Early Modern History

Jikji–the world’s oldest existing book printed with metallic movable type–was printed in 1377. This is a metal type from the 14th century. China and Korea were printing long before Gutenberg came around.

Our old friends the royal throne and the royal screen of the Joseon Dynasty.

Late 19th-century white porcelain bottle with cloud design in underglaze cobalt blue.

Calligraphy and Painting

Gorgeous painted 10-panel folding screen.

Wood and Lacquer Crafts

Lacquerware with mother-of-pearl inlay, 17th-18th century.

Donated Works

Buddhist guardian in wood, late 19th-early 20th century.

Sculpture and Crafts

Pensive Bodhisattva, a National Treasure from the early 7th century.

Bronze temple bell from 1010. Check out the cool dragon on top!

Stunning 19th-century iron brazier inlaid with silver and copper.

White porcelain jar with dragon and cloud design in underglaze cobalt-blue, 18th century.

The National Museum of Korea kept me soaring till it was time to literally leave the ground again.

Namsan

Namsan is a mountain right in the middle of Seoul. And by the way, “Namsan” means South Mountain. In Chinese, it would be “Nanshan“. Seems like more Chinese influence on Korean culture to me.