Day 8: Our last day in Korea
We spent our last day in Korea with the Croatian ambassador, then headed to the airport in the evening. Home was an 11 and a half hour flight to Istanbul and another two and a half hours to Zagreb away.
Our last day in Korea began with a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Korea and his delegation. Together we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace. We arrived just in time for the changing of the guard, with flags and guards in colourful uniforms.
From the palace we walked to Jogyesa, a Buddhist temple. The courtyard was full of chrysanthemums and big flower figures, and a large golden Buddha sits in the main hall.
From there we walked down the well-known Insadong street, full of small shops selling fans, ceramics and souvenirs. It was hard to just walk past the shop windows.
To finish, we had lunch together with the embassy at a local restaurant. We ate bulgogi, thinly sliced meat cooked in a pan in the middle of the table, with lots of small side dishes.
After lunch we split into two groups again. One group went to the National Museum of Korea. We saw an old map of Korea, lots of ceramics and a stone pagoda several storeys high standing in the middle of the main hall.
Then, sadly, our time ran out. We went back to the hotel for our things and set off for the airport. This time we packed everything better, so neither the robot nor the suitcases were too heavy. There were no surprises at the check-in desk like when we left Zagreb.
The first flight, to Istanbul, left at 11 in the evening and took 11 and a half hours. The second, from Istanbul to Zagreb, took only two and a half hours. In Zagreb we took one more photo all together and said goodbye. We brought a lot of memories home with us, and that is where our trip to Korea ends.
