Sights of Suwon

Hwaseong Fortress

I woke after 9 hours of sleep, having missed a night’s sleep airborne.

Venturing out after some muesli and milk, I was pleased that it wasn’t stinking hot today, with substantial cloud cover.  The plan for the morning was to explore Hwaseong Fortress or rather its walls and gates which are dotted around Suwon.

Buses were cheap, plentiful and easy with T-money card.  I hopped off at Paldalmun, one of the main gates of the fortress.  I explored the nearby market area before taking another bus (for free as it was considered a transfer) to another gate Janganmun.

At Janganmun, I followed the fortress wall towards the north-east, making scenic stops along the way.  The sun was not fierce at times and after about 20 mins, I passed an archery site and soon after, I decided it was time to return to Janganmun by bus so I could follow the fortress wall in the opposite direction.

The wall, in the opposite direction led to a pavilion which gave a nice view of the city.  I descended back down in search of lunch before visiting the Hwaseong Haenggung.

Text continues after this gallery.

Hwaseong Haenggung

This palace is about 200 years old and mainly reconstructed after being destroyed during the Japanese era.  The low-rise construction was quite minimalist apart from the colourful eaves and soffits.

Having visited many such places on my previous visits to Korea, I didn’t stay long and return to my accommodation for a rest.  It’s nice to do “half-days” while travelling so I can chill and attend to admin that often builds up otherwise. 

I finished the day with a simple dinner nearby followed by a nice long walk. The walk took me through the streets, the railway station and a big fancy mall. Just before I headed back, I succumbed and bought some street food. A sausage twirled with pastry, reheated in the fryer was about half the cost of a sit-down meal!