Hwaseong Fortress Tour

Today we took a tour guided by the Pyeongtaek YMCA. They showed us around the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon and practiced their English by telling us a little bit about the different gates around the wall, which was really cool but also a bit difficult for both us and them. They had note cards that had the Korean to English translations of what they wanted to explain, but sometimes it didn't quite work. Still, it was a really great experience and I'm glad we went even though it was approximately 1 billion degrees outside. Okay, actually 97 degrees, but according to David's weather app it felt like 101 with the humidity which is slightly brutal here.

Begin photo dump!

Outside the fortress, which is literally in the middle of a roundabout. 

Absolutely stunning artwork on the ceilings of the entrance.

Aiden looking into a canon, as one does. This was actually given to the Koreans by Denmark when the fortress was built in the late 1700s. The boy who was reading the information about this particular gate described them as "red-haired men." We learned it was from Denmark when we went to a museum that had cool explanations about the construction of the fortress.

The middle of a roundabout, y'all. Seriously.

First selfie with some of the students that were showing us around. I think a few of them were slightly terrified of Americans, even though we tried to be as non-threatening as possible.

View from what the students referred to as the "water gate."

This sign means "pier," which I learned from recently studying for my driver's license. But to me it looks like, "Must drive car into river."

Korea is so high-tech that even the rivers have free Wi-Fi.

Lunch photo. You can tell some of the students were here just because it would look good on their transcripts. LOL

We received a TON of gifts. They were so sweet to us. 

Fans (decorative and electric), treats, stickers, hair bands, mirrors, bookmarks, coasters, and a lot of chocolates (which had to be put in the fridge after melting in the hellish heat).

As we were getting off of the bus the main guide told us all that there was another YMCA-led tour in November of a nearby palace. We'll definitely sign up for that one. Who doesn't want to see a Korean palace? Also, who doesn't want to see a Korean palace in the fall in the lovely crisp air rather than the devil's attempt to kill us all with his fiery breath from hell? Count me in.