Hwaseong Fortress

For some reason I’ve had a more difficult time than usual figuring out what to see while in Korea. There aren’t really any obvious tourist destinations like the Louvre in Paris or the Taj Mahal in India, and most of what looks interesting in the Lonely Planet book is just barely too far away to make it a day trip from Seoul. UNESCO World Heritage sites are usually a pretty good bet; some of my favorite destinations in the world – including Delphi, Greece and Luang Prabang, Laos – are places I visited primarily because they are UNESCO sites. While flipping through the guide book last night I noticed that Hwaseong Fortress, only an hour South of Seoul by train, was a UNESCO site. Heading there to see it made sense as a good day trip from Seoul.

Before leaving the city I had one item of business to take care of – visiting the N’Seoul Tower. I can never get enough of seeing the greatest views of the cities I visit, and the N’Seoul Tower is the de facto place for sweeping views of Seoul. A short cable car ride up a rocky, tree-covered hill in the center of Seoul took me to the base of N’Seoul Tower, and a quick elevator ride ushered me to the top. The city views of Seoul were impressive, but I was a little disappointed that the viewing area was all indoors. It can be particularly difficult taking good pictures through windows, and I struggled to find angles with my camera that would avoid the glare of the window panes surrounding the interior of the building. Altogether the visit was still worthwhile – I got a good feel for what Seoul looks like from above, snapped a few good pictures, and generally enjoyed hanging around at the highest point in the city. My favorite part of N’Seoul was labels on the windows that informed visitors of the direction and distance of various cities in the world. Obvious cities included Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Moscow. Some of the more obscure ones (at least in the Western world) were Pyongyang, Vladivostok, Dhaka, and Kabul.

The impressive Seoul subway network stretches all the way south past Suwon, Korea, the location of Hwaseong Fortress, and a single ride took me from N’Seoul to explore the ancient site. Hwaseong is massive, and the fortress walls enclose not only an ancient Korean palace, but also much of Suwon city itself. After a lunch of pan-fried beef stew with noodles and Korean side dishes I explored Hwaseoung Palace, then went for a walk along the fortress walls. Altogether the walk takes about two hours and along the way visitors pass ancient observation towers, fortress gates, turrets, and command posts. Before coming to Suwon I hoped that the visit would be an escape from the city, but urban developments have surrounded the entire fortress and blend seamlessly into the suburbs of Seoul. Despite the fact I was clearly still in the city, I enjoyed Hwaseong for what it was – a collection of fascinating Korean architecture strung together in a pathway circling Suwon. When I really think about it, Hwaseong is actually quite a bit different than any other ancient sites I’ve visited in Asia – I don’t remember ever visiting one that was in the middle of a big city before.

As the day wound down I finished the fortress walk, wandered aimlessly through Suwon until I finally found the bus-stop that would take me to the train station, then headed back to my home for the night at the Beewon Guesthouse in Seoul. Altogether the day was pretty enjoyable – searching out places like Hwasong that are unknown and unpredictable is all part of the adventure of traveling.