Wanderlust Adventures of Six: Gyeongbokgong Palace

Today we skipped church (Heathens!) and instead drove to Seoul with the intent to visit Gyeongbokgong Palace. We left Osan and drove the 40 miles to Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul. We parked the van at the Dragon Hill Lodge and hired two taxis to take us to the palace. After a brisk drive through downtown Seoul, we found ourselves at the palace grounds. The buildings were fantastic, and the surrounding scenery was awesome as well. It was not a surprise that the kings put their palaces here. In fact, the official residence for the President of the ROK is right next to the palace. We spent a couple of hours wandering the grounds, viewing the fantastic architecture, changing poopy underwear, sitting on wet park benches and the like. We lunched at a nearby restaurant and then headed for the gate to try and find a taxi for the return trip. On the sidewalk we found a vendor roasting chestnuts. Of course, we could not resist, so we bought a bag, and they were delicious. We finally hailed two cabs and split forces for the return trip to Yongsan. The average Seoul cab driver does not know where Yongsan Army Garrison is located, apparently, but they know where Yongsan Station is--a station for the Seoul Metro system. The boys lucked out and got a driver who, after some stammering and a phone call to an English speaking dispatcher, was able to deliver us to within spitting distance of the Dragon Hill. The girls, well, they ended up at Yongsan Station--about half a mile from the base. Luckily, Lorri had a brochure with her for a museum that is right across from the gate she wanted to go to, so she showed it to the driver. 15 minutes after the boys arrived, the girls finally showed up. We played at the Dragon Hill for awhile, then headed for home. We stopped in North Osan on the way home and Grammie, the kids and I jumped out of the van and onto a train for a 15 minute train ride to Songtan. Lorri got a few minutes of relative peace and quiet as she drove the van the remaining 10 miles alone. Once in Songtan, we took one cab to the main gate at Osan airbase, and then another from the gate to our tower. The fun didn't stop there! Around 6:00 pm Owen's health suddenly and rapidly deteriorated as he complained of an ear ache. We took him to the ER where they diagnosed him with a middle ear infection. We got Motrin, Tylenol and an antibiotic (which he hates). All that, and still home by 8:00 pm. All in all, an exhausting but fun day!