After a day in Beijing, we flew to Seoul. Even though a rainy weather greeted us, we loved this tidy and clean city of friendly people from the very first minutes.. We reached the city center by subway from the airport, close enough to our accommodation that we could walk.
Traditional Korean houses are called Hanok.. Accommodation is also available in these houses today.. It is possible to stay in rooms with Korean style mattresses, sliding doors and decorated with inlaid wardrobes in these hostel-type places with shared bathrooms and breakfast service.. After a little research on the internet, we found Hanok Guesthouse 201 in Buchon.. The owner of the place is a young woman named Uni and she has been to Turkey many times and was very friendly.. The guesthouse was also really central and clean.. Although the bathrooms were shared, they were always sparkling clean.
Due to the tiredness of the journey and the rainy weather, we decided to rest in our room during our first hours in Seoul.. When we woke up, it was dark and the rain had stopped.. We went out to explore the city on foot and find a nice place to eat.. Thinking that a hot soup would be good, we decided to try the juicy rice porridge dish known as “Juk” in Korea, which is called with different names in east Asian countries.. We preferred the mushroom one among the varieties prepared with the material you want.. They also offered various small delicacies to eat with it.. Frankly, even though we don’t know exactly what all of them are, we ate them all without any discrimination.. Juk, also known as sick food, was very good for us.
We continued to walk around the city with our stomach full.. We reached an area with dozens of shops nearby where the famous Korean barbecue is made.. Continuing from there, we searched for Namdaemun night market.. Although we couldn’t find it, we found the Myeongdong night market on our way.
There were dozens of stalls selling a variety of street food, clothes and accessories.. Finding this place we regretted eating and decided that we had to come back the next day.. We walked back to our hanok, as the clock had gone too far.. What surprised us the most on the way was that many men in suits were staggering drunkenly, even though it was Monday.. So, friend, we were wondering if there is no work for you tomorrow
We started our second day in Seoul by visiting Changdeokgung Palace and Secret Garden.. Changdeokgung Palace, also known as the eastern palace, was badly damaged during the Japanese occupation in 1592.. Since the renovated palace was damaged again in the following period, only 30% of its original state was preserved after the restorations.
There is a hidden garden “Biwon” inside the palace.. In this grove, where members of the royal family can enter, there are a wide variety of plants, tree species and pools, water sources.
If you wish for a long life, you can pass through the Bullom (Gate of Life), in the past, no one except the king was allowed to pass through this gate.. There is also a 750-year-old juniper tree, one of the oldest trees in Korea, in the garden.
Gangnam Style
We couldn’t pass without seeing the Gangnam region, which is the subject of the Gangnam Style song.. When we took the subway and got off at Gangnam station, the change in people’s attire was visible.. We can say that it is like the Nişantaşı district of Istanbul.. But it is very normal to come across people wearing more assertive and fancy designer clothes.
We walked a bit among dozens of skyscrapers of different shapes.. Disappointed that we couldn’t find the Sushi restaurant we were looking for, we headed to our next destination; Giant shopping center where technology products are sold.
Although we were a little late for the shopping center, just as we were late for Universal Studios in Singapore, we were able to learn the prices of the devices we were looking for.. When we couldn’t find it as convenient as we expected, we returned to our hotel empty-handed.
Namsan Park is among the places to see in Seoul.. You can watch the whole city from the hill, whether on foot or by cable car.. We chose to walk and we were quite tired, but it is a pleasant track.
When we reached the top, we came across a local dance show.. We had a hard time following the dancer who was doing acrobatic movements.
By making the descent from another route, we found a very beautiful park that the residents of Seoul prefer for sports.
We had a late flight in the city center in the evening. we decided to attend a show. We can say that we got involved instead of watching a theatrical show among very interesting audiences.. Those who perform acrobatic movements on ropes stretched between buildings, fly, descend, run screaming on the ground, dance. Thanks to all of them, we had a beautiful farewell ceremony to Seoul.
Seoul made us love itself a lot with its kind people, clean streets, nature and sophistication.. We said goodbye to South Korea until another time when we could tour in more detail and set off for the Philippines.
