Category: Seoul

  • September in Seoul (Day 7, 2023)

    Last full day in Seoul. Logistically, I moved from one location to another, did laundry, and packed most of my luggage in preparation for my travels. After dropping my luggage, I headed out for some coffee and art viewing. Aside from the extensive permanent showing of ceramics at Leeum Museum of Art, there were two…

  • September in Seoul (Day 6, 2023)

    Today was a slow day; I spent most of it walking around, sitting, wandering thoughts. There was a shift of some kind, maybe now that I’m on the mental track of returning home? At any rate, no art – just experiencing the city smells and sensations. I spent quiet a bit of time by Cheonggyecheon…

  • September in Seoul (Day 5, 2023)

    To prepare for another sunny day, I began today’s adventure by securing a UV umbrella from a tourist trap. Although it doesn’t dissipate heat, it did help me avoid the sun! I used Papago (a translation app) to successfully order some dumplings for breakfast, then headed out to Gangnam to visit some galleries. First stop,…

  • September in Seoul (Day 4, 2023)

    Firmly in the grips of continued jet lag, I woke up quite early. I drank tea and read, until a reasonable hour and then caught a bus to the base of the mountains for a hike into Inwangsan (san = mountain). This was not an aimless hike, I was headed to the Forest Rest area…

  • September in Seoul (Day 3, 2023)

    Third day, I spent most of the day inside – I have several hikes planned for later this week, so I’m enjoying the comfort of my dry, cool stay. As such, I visited two huge malls south of the Han river – the Hyundai Seoul and COEX. The Hyundai Seoul was more luxury oriented than…

  • September in Seoul (Day 2, 2023)

    Woke up well before the sun – not shocking considering I broke the first rule of international travel, which is going to bed super early. Ah well, it is a vacation! I did get to watch the sky slowly brighten, and risked dropping my phone for an unobstructed snap of this Namsan view: Full of…

  • September in Seoul (Day 1, 2023)

    Made it! Arrived at Incheon Airport very early – so early that most of the airport was still asleep. Luckily, the convenience store was open so I began by having a burdock tea with a tuna-mayo triangle gimbap. The last leg of my travel was an 11 hour flight – which I shockingly slept 8…

  • Seoul, 2023 (Day 10)

    Today was spent packing up and traveling from Busan to Seoul. In other words, all business. I finished a book and enjoyed the view from the KTX. I parted ways with my travel companions, then checked into my final stay. Spare, but sufficient for the task of a bed until my departure tomorrow morning. I…

  • Seoul, 2022 (Day 3)

    Seoul, 2022 (Day 3)

    Christmas morning! We had a traditional birthday breakfast of seaweed soup with chewy mixed rice. We also had a Christmas cake from Paris Baguette. I spent the rest of the morning resting alone quietly at the home stay, catching up on reading and stretching. We had a lackluster meal at Tongin Market, then headed to…

  • Seoul, 2022 (Day 2)

    Seoul, 2022 (Day 2)

    The start of my full second day in Seoul began with a navigation mishap, meaning we spent a lot of time on the subway en route to our first destination of the day: the Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum. The museum displayed ingredients from traditional Korean medicine, with brief descriptions of their medicinal purposes. Although…