Seoul Searching

We have now had two sets of visitors; my sister Laura and her boyfriend Karol, and our friends Aly and Callum, so we have had a chance to explore some of the more touristy aspects of the country we live in. We went to Seoul twice with Laura and Karol and once with Aly and Callum, so we feel as if we know the capital city fairly well now, so here are some of the sights, smells and sounds we came across on our travels!

One of the most famous tourist spots in Seoul is Sejong-ro, a pedestrianised street where you can see Gwanaksan and Bukhansan mountains with the Blue House - the office and residence of the President - sitting at the bottom. In the middle of the street are statues of King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sun-sin, a famous King and Navy hero of the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongbokgung, perhaps the most famous of the palaces in Seoul, is situated at one end near the Blue House. This is a lovely street to have a wander down, incorporating both ancient and modern architecture.

Sejong-ro, With the Statue of King Sejong, Palace, Blue House and Mountains

Outside Gyeongbokgung Palace

 The Han River is a beautiful and calm place to spend an afternoon when the hustle and bustle of Seoul becomes too much. We walked to Yeouido Park, Seoul's business and banking centre, which houses Seoul's tallest building (63 building). It is also a lovely area to sit by the river and relax, or hire a bike and cycle along the bike trails. On the way to the river, we passed a large new shopping centre, and found outside a huge motion sensor display, where the movements of people walking past (or standing in front waving your arms and legs like crazy as we did...) creates a pretty light show on the huge screen. We got a few funny looks from people passing by!

Motion Sensor Display

Relaxing at the Han River

We also took our first trip to N Seoul tower, not the tallest in the city, but often thought of as the most beautiful spot to view the cityscape. We passed Myeongdong Cathedral on the way which was pretty, and we were lucky enough to see a wedding just about to take place. You can either take a lift and a cable car, or if you are feeling energetic, you can walk up the mountain to the tower. We took the lift, then walked up to the tower, and took the cable car down. the walk up gets your blood pumping a bit, but it is quite pleasant and there are some nice photo opportunities on the way. We didn't actually go up to the top of the tower this time, because the view from the top of the mountain seemed good enough, and the day was fairly hazy so we weren't sure that we would see much more from the top anyway.

Myeongdong Cathedral

View of the Tower from the Cable Car

Lovers' Padlocks at the Bottom of the Tower

View on the Walk Up

As a surprise for Laura's birthday, we took her to see the cooking show 'Nanta'. This is one of those things that is very hard to explain, which you can only fully appreciate if you see it for yourself! It is basically a comedy show which uses cooking, dancing and percussion to tell the story of the stressful catering preparations for a wedding. There is barely any language used so it is a universal show - the story is told through the action on the stage. There is a lot of throwing around of food, drumming with knives and pans, slapstick humour and audience participation, and it was absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos while the show is on, but below is one of the stage before it started.

Nanta Theatre

With Aly and Callum, we did many of the same things, but also some different ones, and everything felt new in a way, because spring finally sprung and we got some warm weather! We took them to Insadong, an area where you can explore many antiques and tourist stalls and shops. We have been here a few times before, but this time we stumbled upon Ssamziegil, a small shopping centre in itself, where you go around a spiral staircase perusing many different knickknacks and souvenirs. It is a little pricey compared to the rest of Insadong, but very interesting to look around. Aly had a silver band ring engraved with 'Insadong' which we thought was a really unique souvenir to have from Korea.

Ssamziegil

We visited Cheonggyecheon Stream, which looked beautiful with all the lanterns ready for Buddha's birthday.

Engraving the Ring

We also went back to one of our favourite haunts - the Noryangjin Fish Market. I don't know what it is about this place, whether it's the bustling atmosphere, the weird and wonderful sea creatures (ever seen a fish that looks like a penis?!) or the food that keeps bringing us back, but whatever it is, we love it! 

Phallic Fish

Eating at one of the Traditional Restaurants

Huge Delicious Prawns!

The War Memorial of Korea was our next stop - we have never visited here, as Laura and Karol went alone before we arrived in Seoul to meet them. It is a huge memorial and museum, and an extremely interesting and well exhibited place to come and learn about the Korean War, as well as other wars that have happened on the peninsula. There are also many tanks, aeroplanes and other war-related vehicles outside that you can climb on and get inside. 

War Memorial of Korea

War Memorial of Korea Outdoor Area

We also went back to N Seoul Tower, and as it was a lovely clear day, we made it to the top of the tower this time! It was worth the money and the queuing, and we were lucky enough to arrive at the top just before sunset, so we saw it in daylight, during sunset and then at night with all the city lights.

Sunset...

...At Night