Korea 2011: Geonbokgung Palace - The Main Palace of the Joseon Dynasty

This day was my first experience of the summer rains in Korea.  The monsoon season at this time of year is mostly over.  It continues to rain intermittently.  Because it is very warm at this time of year, it is actually quite a pleasure to walk in the rain, even without a brolly.  Not very conduce to taking pictures, though.

The name Gyeonbokgung translates to 'Palace of shining happiness'.  I like to think that the people who lived there experienced that shining happiness.

Let's start with the entrance:

Once one has entered, there is a large courtyard, populated with the traditional 'guards':

And this little fellow.  He turns up in lots of places.  I have one at home that Dani sent to me from Jeju Island:

Here is a gateway, also in the court between the entrance and the main palace:

And here is a view of the Main Palace from the courtyard:

It is a very imposing building.  The roof structures are typical.  I am going to dedicate a post to those eaves.  They are absolutely beautiful.