Hyo Institute
The Hyo Institute was a center for teaching and holding many of Korea's old traditions, one of which was the Hanbok Etiquette and Tea ceremony which we participated in; more about that later. The institute was very large, modern, and was built next to a beautiful park/recreation/camping area that we were fortunate enough to have walked around for a while before we had to catch the bus. When looking at the map, it looked as though the entire area spanned quite far back into the woods, and in the middle was a hot spring where one could go to soak. It was quite peaceful with families enjoying the scenery, and children playing in the fields.
Hanbok Etiquette and Tea Ceremony
One of the class favorite activities was learning traditional tea ceremony etiquette. It was very enlightening to see the tradition of respecting one another as well as one's self, and we saw it very clearly while learning the etiquette of sitting, bowing, preparing, and pouring tea. It was all very slow, very quiet, and centered around focusing your attention on intentional movements while maintaining a graceful, yet humble presence.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Beautiful from the front, it was hard to tell how large this palace actually was just by seeing the main entrance. What we were unaware of was just how far the palace spanned. We walked for nearly an hour, and we were able to travel maybe one fifth of the way toward the back. It spanned nearly two miles toward the mountain range surround it, and another mile if looking to the right when facing the main entrance.
National Museum of Korea
The National Museum offered a detailed display of Koreas history. There were several exhibits on display showcasing the various Korean royalty lineage leading up to the last Korean emperor to sit on the throne, Emperor Sunjong, who was emperor from 1907-1910 before Koreas invasion by the Japanese. The museum also showcased other non-Korean artifacts from places such as Central Asia, Southeast Asia and India, and Ancient Greece and Rome.
