Kim Il Sungs Birthday

Today is Kim Il Sung's birthday. He is 100 years old according to their calendar, which started on the day he was born. When you are born in this country you are 1 year old. According to our chronology, he is only 99 years old. Next year's birthday is already being planned. 101 years is a big event. We had to put on our best and finest clothes today as we were going to visit the famous mausoleum, Kumsusan Memorial Palace. No one was allowed to wear open sandals, T-shirts, short dresses and preferably no jeans either. The Korean women wore national costumes - beautiful brightly colored big dresses. The men wore military uniforms or suits. People made pilgrimages in large numbers to the mausoleum, which is free to visit. The building was impressively large with marble from floor to ceiling. It is indeed an expensive building, which is terrible to think about, as the country is poor in lye. You may only bring a wallet in - no mobile phone, sunglasses, cap/hat, bag or jacket. The pockets must be completely emptied. The first thing that catches our eye, as being extreme, is that you have to walk over rotating brushes so that the shoes can just be cleaned off. Then you drive on rolling pavements and stairs through many long corridors. When you are almost at the sacred space, you have to go straight through a small airlock, where you are completely blown through - perhaps to remove dust from the clothes... We walked around and bowed to the many statues. We saw the many medals that he has received from 70 countries. We line up in rows, which alternately go forward and bow on each side of the glass coffin. It is hard to tell if it is a real embalmed person lying there or if it is a wax figure. Kim Il Sung is the "creator of mankind", which means "creator of mankind". Those are big words. He developed a philosophy of life called Juche, which means "self-reliance". The people are God. The leader of the country serves the people and fulfills their wishes. Kim Il Sung sacrificed/dedicated his entire life to the Korean people. In the afternoon we saw the Juche Tower, which is a monument in honor of this philosophy of life that pervades the country. One expensive car with tinted windows pulls up in front of the mausoleum after another. A great many important people are present on the Eternal President's birthday. Kim Il Sung is president forever - even after his death. His son, Kim Jong Il leads the country, but the father is still the most important figurehead for the people. Our guides were in the mild corner and offered us all ice cream afterwards. We could choose between strawberry and chocolate ice cream. After paying tribute to the eternal leader on his birthday, we drove to the metro, where we were allowed to travel between 2 stations. We were even allowed to sit in the same carriage as the locals - this has previously been forbidden. The locals acted like real gentlemen and stood up for the ladies. The subway looks like something from the 70s - really retro style. The materials probably come from Russia or another former socialist country. The metro stations are so deep underground that they can also act as shelters in case of war, this is of course not information that the guides bring. Public transportation costs 5 won, which is just a few bucks, whether it's train, bus, or subway. On this great day we were also at a cemetery, the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, where many heroes are buried. Here rest, among other things, Kim Il Sung's wife, who died at a young age from an illness that many were exposed to when they fought for the revolution up in the mountains. Kim Jong Il was only 7 years old when his mother died. At each grave site, a portrait has been created, which is carved and based on the memory of the deceased. The last stop before lunch was the Flower Show, where more than 30,000 flowers are on display. In addition to the country's national flower, magnolia, you can also see Kimilsunia and Kimjongilia, which are named after North Korea's 2 leaders. We drove back to the hotel to have lunch at the Chinese restaurant. Many took the opportunity to change into less fine clothes and put on some extra clothes, as it is a cold day today. The symphony orchestra gave a show today, which cost 20 euros - entrance was not included in the price of the tour. Those who did not want to hear the concert had to wait on the bus for the others. No other activity was offered as it would be unfair to the others to miss out....that's how a true socialist thinks :) There were 7 of us who chose to wait in the bus.It gave us the opportunity to question our guide, Mr Zoo, a little more. He gives more expression to knowing what exists outside North Korea than Ms Kim does. She is very indoctrinated and gets annoyed if you ask too many questions. Jan has been named "Troublemaker" up to several times, as he asks critical questions which are "packaged" really well so as not to offend anyone. She says it with a slightly crooked smile: