Day 3: Mon 4 Sep - Seoul to Hapcheon-Gun
Slept rather well and was up at 6:15am. Started packing up and then went to breakfast at 7am with the rest of the group. We left at 8am after checking out. We have a 19-seater bus for the six of us plus luggage, a driver and a guide so we are nicely comfortable with our own seats. First stop was at the Gongju Gongsanseong Fortress, one of South Korea's many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is a mountain fortress and includes the site of a royal palace (475-538) and very clearly made the most of the topography around the Geumgang River. The walls are 2.6km around the fortress and has four gate pavilions in each of the cardinal directions. The pavilions are marked with flags of different colours and animals: black turtle = North, red phoenix = South, blue dragon = East, and white tiger = West. The fortress is beautifully kept and quite undulating. The 'hike' around that took the better part of an hour and then it was off to lunch, Korean style - sitting in the ground, eati...