Things to Do in Seoul
1. Gyeongbokgung Palace
King Taejo built Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1395. It is the largest and most impressive of the five grand palaces constructed during the Joseon dynasty. There are over 300 buildings to explore, as well as The National Folk Museum and The National Palace Museum, which are must-sees for history buffs. Within the palace grounds, remnants of the Joseon Dynasty such as the Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion, Hyangwonjeong Pond, and sculptures of Geunjeongjeon (The Royal Audience Chamber) remain relatively intact.
2. N Seoul Tower
N Seoul Tower, located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, is a modern structure. From its observatory, 237 meters above ground, you can enjoy panoramic views of Seoul. Inside, there's also a digital observatory and a plethora of souvenir shops, restaurants, and cafes.
Couples frequently attach padlocks and love notes to the fence on the first floor of N Seoul Tower as a symbol of love. Year-round, its outdoor stage hosts traditional performances and exhibitions.
3. Lotte World is number three.
Lotte World, located in central Seoul, is one of the largest indoor theme parks in the world. It caters to visitors of all ages with thrilling rides, films, an ice rink, lively parades, and laser shows. You can also visit the onsite folk museum, which features miniature villages and artifacts dating back over 5,000 years.
4. Market in Myeongdong
If you want to go shopping during your visit to Seoul, Myeongdong Market is the place to go. It is one of the most important shopping districts in South Korea, with dozens of department stores, shopping malls, and street-side shops. Popular items include low-cost clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, and handbags from both domestic and international brands. Over 1,000 stores sell Korean cosmetics and skincare.
5. Palace of Changdeok
Changdeokgung Palace is the best preserved of South Korea's five remaining royal palaces. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and is located at the base of Mount Baegaksan's Ungbong Peak. A public palace area, a paved courtyard, open corridors, and the royal family's residence comprise the area.The Huwon Garden is one of the most photographed spots at Changdeokgung Palace. Views of a lily pond and elegant pavilions surrounded by colorful flowers are available.
6.Temple of Bongeunsa
For those interested in learning about traditional Korean Buddhist practices, Bongeunsa Temple hosts cultural events. The atmosphere here is very quiet and tranquil, surrounded by lush greenery. The temple grounds are dotted with artifacts such as woodblock carvings of Buddhist sutras and Korea's tallest statue of Maitreya Buddha. Bongeunsa Temple offers temple stay programs that allow visitors to experience the life of a Buddhist monk. Among the many activities available during your visit are guided tours (in English, Japanese, and Chinese), dawn services, lotus lantern making, and tea ceremonies.
7. Shrine of Jongmyo
During the Joseon Dynasty, Jongmyo Shrine was a Confucian royal shrine for memorial services. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses the spirit tablets of the Joseon Dynasty's former kings and queens. Every year, cultural heritage festivals such as the Korean Royal Palace Culture Festival are held at Jongmyo Shrine.
8. Market at Dongdaemun
Dongdaemun Market is one of the largest wholesale and retail shopping districts in South Korea. It is home to approximately 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops, and 50,000 manufacturers. Textiles, clothing, shoes, and jewelry are among the items available, as are leather goods, toys, electronics, and office supplies. Mukja Golmok, an alley dedicated to Korean street food and snacks, draws foodies to Dongdaemun Market. After the sun sets in Seoul, the shopping district remains busy well into the night, with festivities, fashion shows, music and dance performances taking place.
9. Hanok Village in Bukchon
Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of hanok (traditional Korean homes) that have survived since the Joseon dynasty. It is regarded as Seoul's most beautiful historical district, with many of these structures serving as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants, and teahouses.
10. Mountain Bugaksan
Bugaksan Mountain, at over 340 meters above sea level, is Seoul's highest point. There are scenic trails that take you through the city's 15th-century gates and along ancient fortress walls, also known as Baekaksan. It takes about 2 hours to reach the top, where you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of Seoul, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and N Seoul Tower.
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Duolingo is NOT what it used to be.
“Duolingo is ‘sunsetting the development of the Welsh course’ (and many others)”.
I’ve used Duolingo since 2013. It used to be about genuinely learning languages and preserving endangered ones. It used to have a vibrant community and forum where users were listened to. It used to have volunteers that dedicated countless hours and even years to making the best courses they could while also trying to explain extremely nuanced and complex grammar in simple terms.
In the past two years it feels like Von Ahn let the money talk instead of focusing on the original goal.
No one truly had a humongous problem with the subscription tier for SuperDuolingo. We understood it: if you can afford to pay, help keep Duolingo free for those who couldn’t.
It started when the company went public. Volunteers were leaving courses they created because they warned of differing longterm goals compared to Duolingo’s as a company; not long after it was announced that the incubator (how volunteers were able to make courses in the first place) would be shut down. A year goes by and the forums—the voice of the users and the way people were able to share tips and explanations—is discontinued. A year or two later, Duolingo gets a completely new makeover—the Tree is gone and you don’t control what lesson you start with. With the disappearance of the Tree, all grammar notes and explanations for courses not in the Big 8 (consisting of the courses made before the incubator like Spanish/French/German/etc. and of the most popular courses like Japanese/Korean/Chinese/etc.) are removed with it. Were you learning Vietnamese and have no idea how honorifics work without the grammar notes? Shit outta luck bud. Were you learning Polish and have absolutely no clue how one of the declensions newly thrown at you functions? Suck it up. In a Reddit AMA, Von Ahn claims that the new design resulted in more users utilizing the app/site. How he claims that statistic? By counting how many people log into their Duolingo account, as if an entire app renovation wouldn’t cause an uptick in numbers to even see what the fuck just happened to the courses.
Von Ahn announces next in a Reddit AMA that no more language courses will be added from what there already is available. His reasoning? No one uses the unpopular language courses — along with how Duolingo will now be doing upkeep with the courses already in place. And here I am, currently looking on the Duolingo website how there are 1.8 million active learners for Irish, 284 thousand active learners for Navajo, and even 934 thousand active learners for fucking High Valyrian. But yea, no one uses them. Not like the entire Navajo Nation population is 399k members or anything, or like 1.8 million people isn’t 36% of the entire population of Ireland or anything.
And now this. What happened to the upkeep of current courses? Oh, Von Ahn only meant the popular ones that already have infinite resources. Got it. Duolingo used to be a serious foundational resource for languages with little resources while also adding the relief of gamification.
It pisses me off. It really does. This was not what Duolingo started out as. And yea, maybe I shouldn’t get invested in a dingy little app. But as someone who spent most of her adolescence immersed in language learning to the point where it was literally keeping me alive at one point, to the point where languages felt like my only friend as a tween, and to the point where friendships on the Duolingo forums with likeminded individuals my age and other enthusiasts who even sent me books in other languages for free because they wanted people to learn it, the evolution of Duolingo hits a bitter nerve within me.
~End rant.
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