Hwasong Fortress and its Princess

I was invited by Brian, a salesman in the office where I work, and his wife Kirsten, an English teacher, to visit them in Suwon, a suburb of Seoul about an hour away by subway. May I just add here how terrific the public transportation system is here? There are six different lines that cover the whole city and its environs, and a ride costs between 1000 won (about $1) and 1500 won--only $1.50 to travel an hour to Suwon.

We visited Hwasong Fortress, built in the 1780's with its great wall, almost 16 kilometers around, complete with watchtowers. Visitors are allowed to ring the great bell at a cost of 1000 won. The first time you toll the bell it is to honor your parents, the second time, to bring prosperity and health to your family, and the third time is to make your personal wishes come true. It was easy to keep my mom and dad and the rest of my family in mind as I swung the huge mallet to hit the bell. The sound was awesome! It's deep gong sound reverberated for at least 2 minutes.

We also visited the palace, which King Jongjo built "as an act of filial devotion", according to the guidebook, to honor the memory of his father and for his mother's 60th birthday. There are 3 important milestones in a Korean person's life: reaching 100 days, their first birthday, and their 60th birthday. Hundreds of years ago, achieving these ages was not taken for granted and was cause for celebration.

Selin, 19 months old, was the little princess of the palace. She insisted on getting out of her stroller and walking almost everywhere we went; of course she promptly fell into a deep sleep as soon as we got back to the car.