Kell & I sporting hanbok at Deoksugung
Wow… what a whirlwind this past week has been! My cousin, Kelly, has already come and gone since my last blog post and my mom arrived here last night. I finished all my open classes at the kindergarten and gave final exams to my hagwon students.
And today, I. feel. lighter. Less stressed. ::sigh of relief::
However, Kelly’s short trip during a busy time didn’t stop us from experiencing what Seoul has to offer.
Postcard Perfect at City Hall
We started off at Dongdaemun for some sightseeing and shopping. Constructed in the 14th century, Dongdaemun served as the Great Eastern Gate of the Seoul fortress. The existing gate was built in 1869 and repaired after the Korean War. It sure does look stunning at night!
One of the popular fashion districts in Seoul, Dongdaemun has 3 overwhelmingly tall towers crammed with clothes, bags, accessories, home decor, souvenirs and peeeeeople. I’m not sure what time it opens, but it closes at 6:00.
Clownin' around at City Hall
…In the morning!
Maybe we wanted to give it a run for it’s money, or maybe it just rocked our socks, but we were shopping there until close to 4 AM before we finally passed out at our hotel down the street. I could’ve fallen asleep with bags in hand, I was so exhausted by then.
A spot of tea please!
We went to Deoksugung palace where we were able to try on traditional hanbok and pose for pictures before touring inside. We watched the Changing of the Guards Ceremony and Kelly actually got asked to participate in it! So, she hit the big ceremonial drum 3 times in front of tourists and Koreans alike.
Say, "Chee-ja!"
Afterward, we walked over to City Hall where a concert was taking place. We hung out there for a bit before moving on to Insa-dong, about a 20-minute walk away. We sauntered along Cheonggye Stream, a $313-million urban-renewal effort to beautify the downtown core. Insadong, one of my favorite areas to explore, is a charming district full of old, traditional restaurants, Buddhist stores, calligraphy brushes, antique boutiques, Jogyesa Buddhist Temple and quirky tea shops.
We settled into The Old Tea Shop after dinner for an hour or so of funky, old-time teas and relaxation. The small birds flying around the room, fish swimming in the tables, and unmistakably old and creaky wooden staircase all made the experience one to remember.
N'Seoul Tower
We hit up Myeongdong the next day for a few hours where we did some more shopping and sightseeing. We made sure to stop off at a photo booth to snap some fun pictures of ourselves before continuing on to N’ Seoul Tower at Namsan (South Mtn.).
This is a great place to appreciate the scale of the megalopolis that Seoul truly is, and it’s a fun cable car ride up to the base of the tower atop the mountain.
All in all, it was a fun, exciting, successful 7 days of SoKo and school if you ask me! 
2 Comments
October 30, 2009 at 8:38 pm
It looks like you and Kelly had a wonderful time. Glad to hear that mom made it safely. I’m sure that it will be a non stop time while she is there. Don’t lose her. Have fun.
November 2, 2009 at 7:18 pm
BTW, tell her that she has to make a guest blog appearance. We expect it to be witty!