A Touristy Day in Seoul: Gyeongbok Palace, Folk Museum, Seoul Tower

This post coming to you from the laziest, most relaxing wine, incense and movie filled Sunday evening ever.

When I first arrived in South Korea, as expected, everything was new to me. With each new person, place, thing, or experience, I'd get that feeling of being awestruck and have the uncontainable desire to take pictures, as if what was sitting in front of me might, at any moment, disappear forever. Stumble upon a park filled with art... take a picture. See a dog wearing mittens, a scarf and shoes... take a picture. Eat silkworm larvae... take a picture. These days, such feelings have subsided. Instead of behaving as a tourist or observer of a foreign place, I go about my day to day life like any other settled resident. I'm comfortable and have made a home out of this (mostly) pleasant place that is Pyeongchun, Anyang, South Korea. It's a good thing, really, but I still yearn for that adrenaline rush of the new and unknown. There is so much that I have yet to experience, it's just that now it must be sought from greater distances.

So, when a friend and I unexpectedly had Friday off from work, we happily grabbed our cameras and tourist sun visors (not really) and headed for Seoul to visit a few spots that are most likely listed on every "Top Places to Visit in Seoul" list.

Gyeongbuk Palace

Before touring the palace, we stopped for some lunch at the Gyeongbuk Palace Cafe, located just outside the subway exit. As if we didn't stick out enough by being the only foreigners, they seated us at this giant table smack dab in the center of the dining area with a bright light above our heads. Everyone else was sitting at tables for two. It was only humorous and it really was the only available table. Plus, the food made up for it.

Was called  something like "Dan-ho-bag-chim" and was as delicious as it looks.

An entire wall of constellations!

The tour of the palace was very relaxing. The main sections closest to the entrance were crowded, but after walking further in on the extremely large grounds, it became quite the relaxing experience. The blue sky, ice on the lake, and mountains surround were all very special. We met a girl from Japan that was being guided by her friend from Korea. It was neat because, during Japanese occupation, the temple was destroyed. Now the two were standing side-by-side as friends enjoying the resorted temple in peace.

National Folk Museum of Korea

After making our way through the palace grounds, we stumbled upon the National Folk Museum of Korea, which is located just outside the palace. Pictures weren't allowed inside (although I snuck one, oops), but there is an outside exhibit (also home to the cutest coffee shop under the sun), where I took many.

Candy Molds. I just had to!

Namsan N Seoul Tower

As the sun started to set, we headed to Namsan N Seoul Tower. The journey to the top of the tower was OK, but nothing too special. The inside was so bright that there was a constant glare on the windows looking to the outside and it was REALLY crowded. I preferred the view from the base/top of Namsan Mountain, which, with the full moon, we absolutely stunning.

At the bottom, people add locks to these fences to represent their love for one another.

Weekend happenings: Cat Attic Cafe, Gwanakson, Hwayang-dong

Holy cow, tomorrow is Monday. The much needed weekend came and went (too fast) and was quite action packed. I'm trying my hardest to not solely live for the weekends because I should enjoy all days to the fullest, but I've reached that point that comes every winter. The one where, whether a student or employee, I badly need a break to clear my mind and then re-focus. Fortunately, mine is just around the corner.

Friday, Maria and Liu, two friends I met hiking, and myself visited a cat cafe called Cat Attic Cafe, located in Myeongdong, Seoul. Before even stepping foot in South Korea, I had read about these cafes where cats roam while guests sip a hot cup of joe. I wouldn't say they are the reason I traveled to Korea, but they played a pretty big part in my decision. OK, not really, but seriously, what's better than cats + coffee?

I was amazed to see they had a Bengal, a hybrid from the cross of your regular house cat and an Asian Leopard. These cats are beautiful and I've wanted to adopt one for quite some time. How great it was to finally meet one for the first time.  It was the most playful of the bunch!

This could be an alien, a human, or a cat. Hmm?

Maria and Liu

Getting to the Cat Attic is quite simple. Hop off the subway at Myeongdong on line 4 and take exit 6. Walk down the main strip for about 4 blocks and you will (or probably already have) spot the infamous person in a Garfield suit. Turn left, and the Cat Attic is to the left on the 6th floor. Maria and I got a little lost at first, but someone wanting to help us quickly knew what we were looking for after a simple "Meow?"

Saturday was to be my hike up Namhansanseong with Climbing Korea, but unfortunately, the 3-subway transfer adventure getting to the meeting spot proved too difficult after forgetting my directions at home. I somehow wound up at Konkuk University Station and realized: "Wow, I'm 10 minutes late and probably over an hour away." I gave up and, since it was a snowy morning, decided to explore Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu outside of the station. It was still early, so the walk was quiet and peaceful. I'm not sure many foreigners exist in this area, because those that were out were all Korean and appeared nothing short of surprised to see me.

 

I needed a hiking fix and had finally invested in some crampons that I wanted to test, so I decided to venture away from Climbing Korea and try the Incheon to Seoul bike Hike Explore and More! MeetUp group. They were hosting a Sunday hike up Gwanakson (관악산), located in Seoul. A lot of Climbing Korea friends joined too, so it was a good mix of old and new friends.

The hike couldn't have been better. The sky was a bright shade of blue and snow blanketed the mountain, both contributing to distinctive human shadows that followed us throughout. We made it to the temple at the top before 1PM, which meant we received a free bibimbop lunch. When the sun started setting, it reflected off the buildings of Seoul, lighting up the city for us to enjoy from the mountain. Pa-jeon (파전), Jokbal/pigs feet (족발), and Makguli (막걸리) made for the perfect dinner and end to the hike. Makguli is a rice wine and since it is made of rice with more pro-bacteria than yogurt, is considered a main dish at dinner time and ever referred to as a food. Can't complain there!

Finally, a new camera :)

Mt. Dobong (도봉산): cool cats.

Once upon a time (two weeks ago, to be exact), I hiked Mount Dobong, located off Dobongsan Station, line 1 and 7 in Seoul. I meant to blog about the adventure long ago, but find it difficult to put into words the invigorating sense of being I get when climbing the mountains here, this one included. So, I just put it off and put it off, until now. I'll keep the words to a minimal, for your sake and mine. (*^_^)/

Friday, the morning after my holiday party, I woke up at about 6am to my alarm and thought, "Hell no am I going hiking." That, of course, was just tired, grumpy, just woke up after a night of drinking hot buttered rum Lana. After about 15 minutes of laying in bed, I was psyched and ready to get a move on. The subway ride took about 1.5 hours and, careful not to break my hiking trip tardiness trend, I was late. Luckily, so were about 5 others, some much later than myself!

First giant rock of a very rocky trail. .

The first part of the journey was cake. Then, we entered the "no trail" zone and it gradually grew more difficult.

Korea's "Smokey the Bear"

Pregnant on peak 1/3. Must be something special about the mountain. 

Borrowed cramp-ons from my friend, David. Not sure the higher parts would have been possible without. THANK YOU!

Oh just some cats peering off the highest peak...no big deal.

Bird feeder. Had about 10 birds eating out of the palms of his hands...

Tried a new dish at dinner-time. Wish I could remember the name. ???

Gangnam-gu: an evening stroll.

I was feeling adventurous tonight, so I decided to explore Gangnam-gu, one of the 20 districts of Seoul. It it very large and feels like a city in itself. Popular for shopping, it hosts two very large malls and outdoor shopping around Gangnam subway station. Besides protecting myself from getting mauled, I mostly just walked around. It's quite the chaotic place (or so it seems to me), but it still a relaxing stroll. 

On my subway ride home, I witnessed a man give an elder man his seat on the subway. The elder man, now sitting, then got up and gave the seat to an even older elder man. A man sitting next to the eldest soon got off the subway and the first elder sat back down. The two men, and strangers to one another, then conversed until it was my stop and I could no longer spy.  I'm not certain you would see this in the states. I like the respect Koreans have for their elders and I appreciate the sense of community that exists.

Bits and Pieces : ChangdeokGung Palace and Samakson

Why hello there, blog. I’m sorry for neglecting you for longer than usual, but we needed a break for a bit. I’ve been feeling like a scatterbrain lately and I have been attempting to re-root. Just like any expatriate in a foreign country, I’m continuing to experience ups and down, pros and cons, things I love and things I dislike. Together, they make this experience unique and so, some how (not always easy), I can find it in my soul to accept them all. Lists are a scatterbrain’s best friends and in true scatterbrain fashion, the items are in no particular order.

Things I currently love:

1. Heated wood floors
2. Planning my winter trip (I’ll share more about this very soon, but let me tell you, it will be epic.)
3. Finishing Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” and moving onto Jeannette Wall’s “The Glass Castle”
4. Today’s bright blue winter sky
5. Japanese food with a touch of Korea
6. Winter hiking

Things I currently dislike:

Are the shoes really necessary? I don't know...

1. Encountering careless motorists anywhere I travel on my bike
2. Feeling out of touch with friends and family
3. Missing the presence of animals around me (not half foot dogs dressed in sweaters, shoes and scarves or sickly pets in animal shops)
4. The though that I will not be at home for the holidays.

A couple of happenings:  

ChangdeokGung Palace (昌德宮), Jongno-gu, Seoul
The direct translation of the palace name is "the palace of prospering virtue" and it is one of the Five Grand Palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. Unfortunately, much of it was destroyed during the Japanese occupation, so what my friend Elise and I explored was the remaining 30%. It was absolutely breathtaking. Before the palace, though, we just had to travel to Itaewon for Seoul's "best burgers," so we were a little behind schedule (worth it). But this meant that the "Secret Garden" of the palace would be closed by time we got there. I don't know much about this garden, but we both agreed that after having fallen in love with the book with the same title as children, we MUST see this place. We will return in the spring when cherry blossoms are in bloom. 

Samakson, Chuncheon, Gangnam Province 
This last weekend, I rode my first train to Gangnam with my MeetUp group. We trekked up Samak Moutain in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius! In true Korea fassion, there were times when it seemed much more like amateur rock climbing, but I have zero complaints there. I love hiking with this group, but when hiking, it is sometimes necessary to separate oneself to thoroughly take in the surrounding beauty. Luckily, during the second half I found myself far enough ahead to do just that. At the end of the trail, we all met up for Dakgalbi (my first time) and wow, was it tasty.


Samakson, Chuncheon, South Korea: it's a tad bit chilly. from Lana Wright on Vimeo.