I had a really busy weekend and I have so many things to tell you but first, I must tell you about the rest of my trip to Korea. It'll soon be two weeks that we're back and I'm pretty sure I'll start forgetting stuff soon. If you haven't read the first part, take a look at part 1.
On Sunday (September 20,) we woke up a little late and decided to go for a small hike on Namsan, a small mountain in the centre of the city. It was sunny and the temperature was just perfect. It was an easy hike, even though some parts were a bit steep, and once we reached the top, we bought tickets to go up the Seoul N Tower. Since the tower is built on high ground, the view is magnificent. I have this weird obsession that makes me go up the towers of each city I go to. The funny part is that once I'm up there, I take a few shots and go down within five to ten minutes. I wonder what my brain is craving...
When we got down, we found out that a group of Korean martial arts professionals were about to give a demonstration next to the tower. We sat down and watch the amazing moves and great costumes. I think Mr. kanmuri was a bit bored, but he didn't say anything. I think this demonstration is held every Sunday afternoon.
After that we headed for Itaewon, an international area of Seoul, and grabbed some gyros for dinner. Then, we walked around the area to check the local mosque, the giant spiders at the museum of art and a strange shopping centre - the Hamilton Hotel Shopping Centre- that looked as if it had stopped restocking in the 80s; it was, to say the least, eerie.
The next day, we had planned a little day trip outside Seoul but we woke up to the sound of rain hitting the pavement so we had to change our itinerary. This proved to be really difficult because most tourist attractions and Museums are closed on Mondays. Luckily there were still a few places open. We first went to the Namsangol Hanok village which is a small village with restored traditional Korean houses. The rain stopped just long enough for us to go around and see what the place had to offer. I'm a big fan of traditional architecture (I like old buildings, regardless of the country) and so I was in heaven. I must say, however, that the best part was that I got to wear a hanbok (traditional Korean wear) for less than a dollar! I even got to take pictures in it! Traditional costumes are another of my passions. Mr. kanmuri doesn't like to dress up so he kindly acted as my photographer.
After that, we headed for another part of the city and climbed another of the many mountains of Seoul to go see a temple. I unfortunately forgot the names of the mountain and temple; I will look them up later and update the information. On that mountain, we also got a close look at the old city walls. Halfway through our hike, we got caught by heavy rain and we were soaked through and through when we finally got down. The meal we had a the tiny local restaurant (it looked like someone's kitchen) warmed us back to life! My shoes were still very wet, tho...
That night we didn't do much; we had dinner with my sister and went back to our hostel.
Watch out for the next post; it should cover the demilitarized zone!
On Sunday (September 20,) we woke up a little late and decided to go for a small hike on Namsan, a small mountain in the centre of the city. It was sunny and the temperature was just perfect. It was an easy hike, even though some parts were a bit steep, and once we reached the top, we bought tickets to go up the Seoul N Tower. Since the tower is built on high ground, the view is magnificent. I have this weird obsession that makes me go up the towers of each city I go to. The funny part is that once I'm up there, I take a few shots and go down within five to ten minutes. I wonder what my brain is craving...
When we got down, we found out that a group of Korean martial arts professionals were about to give a demonstration next to the tower. We sat down and watch the amazing moves and great costumes. I think Mr. kanmuri was a bit bored, but he didn't say anything. I think this demonstration is held every Sunday afternoon.
After that we headed for Itaewon, an international area of Seoul, and grabbed some gyros for dinner. Then, we walked around the area to check the local mosque, the giant spiders at the museum of art and a strange shopping centre - the Hamilton Hotel Shopping Centre- that looked as if it had stopped restocking in the 80s; it was, to say the least, eerie.
The next day, we had planned a little day trip outside Seoul but we woke up to the sound of rain hitting the pavement so we had to change our itinerary. This proved to be really difficult because most tourist attractions and Museums are closed on Mondays. Luckily there were still a few places open. We first went to the Namsangol Hanok village which is a small village with restored traditional Korean houses. The rain stopped just long enough for us to go around and see what the place had to offer. I'm a big fan of traditional architecture (I like old buildings, regardless of the country) and so I was in heaven. I must say, however, that the best part was that I got to wear a hanbok (traditional Korean wear) for less than a dollar! I even got to take pictures in it! Traditional costumes are another of my passions. Mr. kanmuri doesn't like to dress up so he kindly acted as my photographer.
After that, we headed for another part of the city and climbed another of the many mountains of Seoul to go see a temple. I unfortunately forgot the names of the mountain and temple; I will look them up later and update the information. On that mountain, we also got a close look at the old city walls. Halfway through our hike, we got caught by heavy rain and we were soaked through and through when we finally got down. The meal we had a the tiny local restaurant (it looked like someone's kitchen) warmed us back to life! My shoes were still very wet, tho...
That night we didn't do much; we had dinner with my sister and went back to our hostel.
Watch out for the next post; it should cover the demilitarized zone!
Nice exercisers, in the park, for free!
Mr kanmuri, going for the gold
Seoul N Tower
Seoul, a sea of white buildings
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHG
Mosque in Itaewon
Spiders. I have seen the same in Roppongi and apparently we have them in Ottawa as well.
Being silly, take 2
Traditional Korean House (for the rich)
Serious Korean nobleman (you can see Mr kanmuri's ear on the right...)
Pure happiness!
Seoul's old city walls
5 comments:
reminds me of those days I was in Seoul too. How long did it take you to climb up Mt. Namsan? :)
Je suis sûre que je voudrais essayer les costumes moi aussi! Une seule araignée à Ottawa...
You are quite the trekker.
And so pretty and happy in your Korean costume.
Gorgeous photos, especially the traditional costume. The food on your previous post played havoc with my heartburn!!
I guess it was for the best that Mr Kanmuri didn't point out he was bored to the martial arts experts.....!!
CJ xx
@Mei: Ummm, I guess it took us something like an hour. I didn't really check, and we made many stops around the way ;)
@Cat: Je pense que c'est une affaire de filles, se déguiser.
@Ruth: Thank you. If they let me, I think I would wear clothes like that everyday!
@CJ: Korean food is kinda spicy... ok, really spicy. I'm not sure your heartburn would enjoy it! As for Mr. kanmuri, I guess he's finally learning manners!
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