Changgyeonggung

Botanical glasshouse

Completed in 1909, it is still full of plants. The park is so big that it takes 25 mins to walk from the entrance to the glasshouse, but I really enjoyed it!

The Palace of Flourishing Gladness

This palace was originally built in the early 15th century by revered King Sejong for his parents. Like all the palaces it was destroyed twice by the Japanese -- first in the 1590s and then during the colonial period from 1920 until 1945, when the palace suffered the ultimate indignity of being turned into a zoo.

The main hall, Myeongjeongjeon, with its latticework and ornately carved and decorated ceiling, dates back to 1616. The stone markers in the courtyard show where the different ranks of government officials had to stand during major state ceremonies.

The smaller buildings behind the main hall were where the kings and queens lived in their seperate households.