The first spot I visited the day I arrived was Cheonggyecheon Stream (청계천), where there were many lanterns strung up for the celebration of Buddha's Birthday that day, May 3rd. The lanterns were quite a sight. The soft glow and array of colors set a very romantic and comforting atmosphere around the stream. Many people, families, and children wandered about and played in the water. Even though it was after dark, the stream was full of people. There also were gorgeous flower arrangements hung up along the walls lining the stream and many lanterns strung above it, creating a makeshift ceiling of light. I have been to this stream several times, and every time it has been decorated differently, but it never fails to impress me.
The following day I found myself in Myeongdong, which is a hub for street food and tourist shopping. I have been here several times as well, but there is always something new to find. This visit I tried an ice cream desert that was a fish shaped waffle, filled with vanilla ice cream and a small honeycomb on top. I am not sure the honeycomb was authentic, but it was certainly very sweet. It was almost too sweet for me, but it was worth trying if you like sweet foods. I went to my first truly themed cafe, the Hello Kitty Cafe, to meet some friends. It was all a bit too pink for me though. Hello Kitty isn't really my thing...
I also tried Dr. Fish while I was there. Dr. Fish are the foot therapy where you put your feet in a vat of fish and they eat all the dead skin from your feet. Now, it definitely works. My feet were softer when I finished, but I think the longer you do the treatment the better the results you will have. That being said, if you are a super ticklish person you may not be able to handle it. I have never experienced something so ticklish in my entire life. It was nearly impossible to sit still without flinching as their tiny little lawnmower like mouths buzzed all over my feet. It tickled SO MUCH. I paid 10,000 W for about 15 minutes with the fish, but given the chance to do it again I would do it for longer. Before calling it a night, I also did some shopping along the streets and bought some new clothes.
On day three I visited Seoul Forest for the first time. It seemed to be a really great outdoor area for being located within Seoul. There were many families and children celebrating Children's Day with picnics and playing in the water fountains. There were also many events for the children to participate in and many places to see. There was an insect zoo and butterfly house that had free entry. The free entry was the most appealing thing for me. I have been in many similar insect/butterfly/plant observatories, but never one that was free. I think the fact that it was free really promoted parents to bring their children to learn about the different insects, which was great. There also were some really enchanting areas that looked like they could've been straight out of a fairy tale. They were hot places for couples to take photos together. The forest even had a deer corral, where you could get up close with some deer and feed them. The deer looked a bit different then those from home, so I was curious as I watched them. The adults still had spots, and they looked a bit fluffier then deer I am used to seeing. The forest was filled with bike paths, sports areas where people could play everything from basketball, frisbee, and ping pong to volleyball. I think the abundance of areas open to sports around Seoul is very positive. I like how hard they try to integrate exercise into daily lives of the people who live there.
Later that night I went to the Han river and had dinner with friends at Ttukseom Hangang Park (한강시민공원 뚝섬지구). Most of the photos I took are poor quality since it was dark out, but the atmosphere was perfect. There was soft lighting and the river was right nearby. The cityscape with all the lights across the river made for a breathtaking view and all around were people on blankets or in tents lounging with loved ones having a relaxing evening. We ordered some Korean fried chicken (soy chicken is my favorite) and ate and visited as we listened to people who were performing nearby. It was really great.
The next day I acted as a tour guide for a fellow friend who had come to Seoul for the first time, so we went all over the place. We started the day off at Naksan Park, walking along the old Seoul City Wall and seeing a great view of the city. From there we went to the National Folk Museum and Gyeongbukgong Palace. We wandered throughout the palace and took photos, ate some subway, taunted some pigeons nearby, and enjoyed daydreaming about a time when a palace as magnificent as Gyeongbukgong would've actually been in use. The palace is so huge and the historical elements take your breath away. Especially if you are from a Western lifestyle, seeing something so drastically different makes your imagination flourish with visions of what palace life would've been like.
From there it was off to Insadong, where we spent WAY too much money on traditional souvenir items. If you want to buy souvenirs or gifts for family that is the place to go. Everything you can buy is so pretty there, but most of the multitude of shops sell the same things. I bought myself some hair clips and decorations for my apartment, as well as real calligraphy ink to go with my brushes I had previously bought elsewhere.
My friend and I also ended up in a rather large underground museum dedicated to King Sejong and Admiral Yi near Gwanghwamun Square. Initially we saw the sign for the museum and thought it was a small one. We were wrong. The steps took us underground for an expansive museum, complete with a large turtle ship replica, replicas of inventions of King Sejong, and much more. It was a very well laid out museum and I think it was rather high quality. The exhibits were gorgeous and detailed, the atmosphere was very educational and inspiring, and the staff was very friendly.
Some of Sejong's Analects included relational and communicational leadership.
Relational Leadership: "One of the most essential ingredients of great statecraft is trust, and especially expressing trust. How can a king who should rule over all people and all things in the country with impartiality treat those of low birth any differently from the way he would treat others?"
Communicational Leadership: "A wise ruler should not neglect minority opinions and give careful hearing. Nevertheless, it would be foolish for a monarch to make decisions based on a single person's opinion. Although those of superior ranks are wiser than their subordinates and should be able to make the right decisions, the subordinates must not hesitate to correct their superiors, if they feel with certainty that the latter's decisions is wrong."
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| Analects of King Sejong |
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| Sejong's Statue - Museum Entrance |
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| Admiral Yi |
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| Inside the Turtleship Repl |
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| Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Ship Comparison |
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| Calligraphy Experience |
Next stop on the day of tours was Namsan Tower near Myeongdong. If you take the subway and get off at Myeongdong Station Exit 1, the tower is close enough that you can walk to the cable cars from there instead of paying for a taxi or bus. The tower is exactly as I remembered it, with the exception that this time there were many more love locks then a little over a year ago when I visited. The tower was also lit a different color this time, green rather than blue. I didn't go up in the tower this time since we didn't have enough time before the subways closed to make paying worth it, but the views from the bottom of the tower are still breathtaking.
N SEOUL TOWER
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| Love locks and the city background |
On my last day in Seoul we made a trip to K Star Road for some celebrity hunting....well we didn't see any, but we did get to see these:
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| KStarRoad |
Aren't they cute? We also were able to visit SM, JYP, and FNC entertainment. We saw many "celebrity vans" or at least they had the potential... and some suspicious characters who were rather covered up for such a hot day, but no celebrity citings were confirmed. Maybe someday...
Lastly, I want to post this election poster for the recent Korean Elections. They were posted all over Seoul. I think Korea has many election candidates, but I appreciate the fact that they all get decent promotion. In the USA, other than the 2 main candidates, I feel like the others are sort of shadowed. Here I see promotions for all the different candidates no matter what area of Korea I am in. People drive around and promote their party and posters and banners show all the candidates fairly equally, which I think is respectable. I also think the fact that schools and many places of work are closed on election day is an admirable aspect of election day that should be considered in the USA. I think it would boost voting numbers if people had the day off...
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| 15 Election Candidates....but the first 5 are the most popular |
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