Anyway, as soon as we got out of the bus, we realized that not only was it a little colder than we had anticipated, it was also very, very windy at the fortress. We walked across the street and down about five minutes to the fortress entrance, took a few pictures at the entrance, and then Connie and Paul announced they would head back to the bakery/coffee shop by where we'd gotten off the bus, as they had already seen the fortress. We assured them we wouldn't be long, and we basically ran around the fortress, trying to see the major components. We didn't even stop to read most of the information bulletins--and you know how much we love those! We went to the center portion, which was set up like a jail, with each cell showing a different example of torture methods (based on similar exhibits from the Hall of Independence, I assume these were examples of Japanese torture of Koreans). In the middle of the jail yard, there were large cross-shaped benches, with ropes to tie the arms and legs down, along with large paddles used to beat prisoners. Brenden is brandishing the paddle below:
Next, we raced up to the highest part of the fortress, up a long flight of stairs to a large traditional watchtowers. From there, we could look down and see not only the entire fortress yard, but anyone approaching from all sides. We didn't stay long though, just long enough to take a few pictures and race down to examine the stone piles (picture below). They resemble wishing piles I've encountered before--basically, you add a small stone to the pile and make a wish or say a prayer. We didn't stop to add stones, however, as we decided it was time to leave.
We resolved to make our way back there once we're in spring and the cherry blossoms are in season, so hopefully that will be soon!
- Carissa
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