Seoul, South Korea
City of Cities
Seoul is unique in the way that it is a city with many different districts which all have their unique style, we only saw a small amount of it, but walking around and taking the public transportation around the city, it feels like a country with many cities up against each other.
We arrived late in the evening and had to get a covid test before going to Seoul. There were three forms to come, one for covid, one for tourist approval, and one for customs. Gladly we could do most before arriving, so we could skip some of the lines.
Transport and sci-fi movie feel
The transportation in Seoul is fantastic. You get these cute traveling cards in a machine, so there are no long lines for sign-up, and it works on the bus and the metro. Furthermore, you can use it in vending machines all over the city! We decided to walk some of the ways to the hotel in the Myongong district. Seoul is a safe city, so you don’t have to worry when you are out after dark and the town is still alive. However, when we arrived, it was their holiday Chuseok, so it didn’t live up before the third day of our stay. I enjoyed how the place reminded me of many sci-fi movies I’ve seen, like Fifth element (without the flying cars) and ghost in the shell (it is based on an anime, so it did make sense). In the evening, we found a small restaurant on the first floor. Here I had my first Cass; David also introduced me to pouring their Soju, which reminds me a lot of Vodka, into the beer. It tasted better with it, but also a lot stronger. We had spicy ribs in a flood of stringy cheese; it was delicious and so cheese! The string was so long that we had scissors to cut it off. After that, we noticed it’s much more typical to have a scissor at your dinner table than a knife for cutting meat and cheese.
Myongong and namdemun
Myongoing, where we first stayed, has a ton of small street food stands and shops. Mostly, the shops were with beauty products and bucket hats, but there were also other shops. The food is so good! We tried souffle pancakes with strawberries, sticky fried chicken with rice pasta, gyoza, and steam-buns with different meat fillings and kimchi. Namdemun is the name of the old gate from the 14th century; the term also represents the district, which is also filled with food stands and fun stands with different kinds of clothes and gemics. We spent two days walking around and enjoying the food in both markets. One evening we also had their famous Korean BBQ, where you get a lot of different pickles and dressing and then choose a lump of meat; the waiter then comes and roasts for you at the table; it was so tender, having the grill in the middle of the table, gave it a lovely picnic feel to it.
The Palaces
One day was spent visiting two of the palaces in the city. Seoul has a lot spread around the city. The ones we chose were Deoksugung and Gyeongbokgung Palace. They both had beautiful carvings, and the houses were unique in their designs and paintings; even though many looked alike, they had different purposes and sizes. Gyeongbokgung was the bigger of the two; one of the pavilions had been raised on pillars, with a small lake, perfect for an evening banquet. We didn’t even see it all in our three hours there. After walking for a long time, we went for the famous chicken and beer; it was fried with a sweet and spicy glaze and then washed down with a cold Cass beer.
The old districts near Gyeongbokgung
Outside Gyeongbokgung was an old district with small shops and cafes; it was like walking in another era. You could also rent the clothes they used to wear in the Palaces. We didn’t but seeing so many locals in their dress-up was terrific. They mostly walked around the palace grounds, but you could also find them outside. After walking around, we ended up at a small tea house just at the top of the old district; here, we had a small tea ceremony, which felt fitting. We were guided into a small garden in the middle, where you took your shoes off before being seated. Then the green tea had to be poured into a bowl to cool; then, you had to count to 30 sec. Pour it over the leaves, leave it only for 15 sec. and then back in the bowl, and last but least, into your cups. I have never had to work that much for a cup of tea, but it felt magical, and the tea tasted so fresh.
The Secret Gardens of Seoul
After seeing so many places, the best thing for me is finding a quiet area to breathe a little and take it all in. So one early morning, we sat with our morning coffee and tea on the third floor of a café; here, we had a great view over the area and discovered a small waterfall down on the ground. We wandered over and discovered a park system buried in the ground by a small river. Here we ended up spending several off-times in these secret river gardens that stretched all over the city. one evening, finding some drinks and buying a cup of ice in the minimarket, we walked around. A guy was playing guitar and singing on one of the bridges above us, so we stopped and found a spot to sit. Sitting and listening and looking at the stars, we felt like we had discovered a little drop of heaven on earth.
Gangnam District
“Op, op, op, op, oppan Gangnam style” Yes, the song is from that district, the one we all a couple of years ago was dancing along to. One thing I learned, though, was that a Gangnam style is not your moves but the lifestyle in the district, which is very posh. Our last day was spent there; we ate a meal in Jangin Dakgalbi. It was so good, a spicy mix of glass noodles, rice pasta, and different meat and then a river of cheese in the middle. It was perfect; they even offered to mix the rest with rice to make it stir-fry, but we got so stuffed on the first course that we couldn’t eat anymore. Afterward, KARIOKEEE, it was so much fun! They had made small cubicles where we danced and sang our lungs out to beachboys and Coldplay. Perfect last evening in a beautiful city.
See you next in Daejeon.
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Så dejligt at opleve igen. Bliver helt sat tilbage til den skønne tur jeg havde med David til Seoul
Det er jeg glad for! Det var hvirkelig også en fantastisk by! 😀