Blue House

First thing first, I did not get to go inside the Blue House. I merely managed to stand on the outside, dejected at my bad timing. Indeed, I happened to be there during their summer holidays and there were no visits for the whole month I spent in Korea.

The Blue House, or Cheongwadae, is a complex of buildings, which includes the residence of the President of the Republic of Korea. It would have been an interesting visit, if just to assuage my curiosity.

I was impressed despite not being able to set foot inside the complex. Let's just say the guards posted on the outside had little in common with the actors parading at Deoksugung... There was just something impressive in the air. I suspect it was mainly in the details, from the shine of their shoes to the rigidity of their posture. Even the ones that were not in uniform and tried to be helpful gave off this aura of competency that you don't see in the police patrolling the street, which are mainly young men doing their mandatory service.

I'm sure this would have been a worthwhile visit. Word of advice though: be sure to visit their webpage to reserve your spot a fair bit in advance as, when the Blue House is open for visits, the spots fill in rather quickly. Let's say it's not a show up the day of thing.

The Blue House is close to Gyenongbokgung Palace and Gallery Hyundai, a favorite of mine. In fact, the whole neighborhood is worthy of a stroll and some fair bit of exploration.