Upon arriving to Seoul on Friday night Angie and I checked into our hostel shortly after midnight. We quickly discovered that the hostel had been overbooked and only had 1 bed available. The host offered us a mattress on the floor to which we agreed but only if we were given a discount on the accommodations. Sleeping arrangements secured we settled in for an evening of sleep... that was disrupted a few hours later by people leaving. On the bright side, as I was on the floor I was only stepped on once! Although with some of the snoring I regretted not having ear plugs. HOW COULD I FORGET THE EAR PLUGS? Once the girls were gone I settled into the vacated bed and enjoyed a couple more hours of sleep. In the morning, Angie and I woke and began the day with coffee and a quick breakfast. We had planned on picking up a few of the essential items we were not able to pick up in Daejeon and Angie wanted to find the massive underground shopping mall we had heard so much about prior to coming to Seoul. We missed it. We wound up in another area famous for shopping where you can get really good deals on designer brands. Korea is OBSESSED with brand labels, and while 50% discount is an excellent deal when the original price of the bag, or pants, or coat is $500-$1000, it's still beyond what we are ever willing to pay. We did manage to find some non-brand clothing options for work/casual and then we met up with Ryan.
Needing more food, we were going to head to Seoul Tower and along the way we hit Tteokbokki Town! A small district in Seoul apparently famous for tteokbokki. I couldn't stop singing about tteokbokki town for the rest of the day (just replace Funky Town with Tteokbokki Town). After feasting on tteokbokki and watching the neighborhood song festival we headed over to Seoul Tower. Unfortunately the day was hazy, but the views were still incredible. We romped around the tower for a bit and then decided to head over to the fireworks festival to grab a seat.
Korea knows fireworks! This was absolutely the best fireworks display I have EVER seen. The only drawback was that we couldn't hear the music since we were a bit far away. I also learned one key lesson... always queque for the restroom early so as to avoid missing any of the action! Although in a city of 10+ million people, it was a strange feeling to run into another waygook friend from Ulsan while at the fireworks festival. In such a large city and such a massive event I never would have expected to run into a familiar face.
The next day, we met up with Ryan again headed over to Changdeok Palace. This palace is described as a "beloved residence of later Joseon kings." It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" constructed by the Joseon Dynasty. The palace was completed in 1412 and in 1997 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. As one of the "Five Grand Palaces" this palace does not disappoint. It's beauty lies on both the grand and small scales. The layout is open and inviting with no corner left without thought. The palace appears as a true offering of beauty to the kings and the spirits of their ancestors. It is here that I re-discovered the fun in posing for pictures. So often of late I have noticed that pictures always looked so formal even in the most informal of settings but during our palace explorations we began to pose not in front of the palace but with the palace!
After the palace and a quick bite, Angie and I dove headfirst into the search to obtain our final essential items. We were somewhat determined NOT to leave Seoul without a winter coat. The crowds were insane! We navigated as best as we could and attempted to make quick work of the experience and get out as quickly as possible. Winding our way through familiar stores like H&M and Forever 21, we were finally able to find winter coats, although the process took longer than we expected. No matter which direction we wandered it always seemed we were salmon swimming upstream.
Although Seoul is a bit too crowded in some areas for my preference, I am looking forward to my next wanderings around the city. There await small nuggets of intimacy and quiet even within this expansive metropolis.
The next day, we met up with Ryan again headed over to Changdeok Palace. This palace is described as a "beloved residence of later Joseon kings." It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" constructed by the Joseon Dynasty. The palace was completed in 1412 and in 1997 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. As one of the "Five Grand Palaces" this palace does not disappoint. It's beauty lies on both the grand and small scales. The layout is open and inviting with no corner left without thought. The palace appears as a true offering of beauty to the kings and the spirits of their ancestors. It is here that I re-discovered the fun in posing for pictures. So often of late I have noticed that pictures always looked so formal even in the most informal of settings but during our palace explorations we began to pose not in front of the palace but with the palace!
After the palace and a quick bite, Angie and I dove headfirst into the search to obtain our final essential items. We were somewhat determined NOT to leave Seoul without a winter coat. The crowds were insane! We navigated as best as we could and attempted to make quick work of the experience and get out as quickly as possible. Winding our way through familiar stores like H&M and Forever 21, we were finally able to find winter coats, although the process took longer than we expected. No matter which direction we wandered it always seemed we were salmon swimming upstream.
Although Seoul is a bit too crowded in some areas for my preference, I am looking forward to my next wanderings around the city. There await small nuggets of intimacy and quiet even within this expansive metropolis.
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