My commencement weekend inwards Seoul, I couldn't wait to come across what this metropolis had to offer. Thaddeus was ready amongst a total itinerary of things to do. All inwards all nosotros covered nigh 26 miles of the metropolis on foot, ate a lot of neat nutrient as well as saw a lot of neat Seoul sites!
So topographic point on your walking shoes as well as tag along equally I retrieve my commencement weekend inwards Seoul!
Friday black was our commencement Galbi House (or Korean BBQ) experience. When Thaddeus got out of work, nosotros 1 time to a greater extent than wandered the streets of Itaweon as well as flora a traditional Galbi restaurant. Galbi restaurants inwards Korea conduct maintain a grill at the tabular array as well as a ventilation arrangement coming from the ceiling. You ready your BBQ correct at your table. We 1 time to a greater extent than had a traditional shoes-off, floor-level seating experience, although non all Korea restaurants are similar this.
Korean BBQ is seasoned amongst a marinade comprised of ingredients including sugar, soy sauce as well as garlic. The marinade makes for a sweet, delicious as well as extremely tender meat that volition ready quickly. There are diverse kinds as well as styles of meat you lot tin lodge to cook. The meat is also served amongst several styles of lettuce for wrapping, several styles of kimchi as well as diverse other side dishes. 
The eating house nosotros chose was not located on the primary streets of Itaweon, which to a greater extent than oftentimes than non cater to English linguistic communication speakers. Our waitress did non beak English linguistic communication so nosotros improvised as well as ordered past times pointing to pictures, which were on a card on the wall, as well as past times doing mitt gestures for the balance of the night. It worked out fine as well as everything was delicious.
Saturday nosotros started the 24-hour interval off at 1 of the large markets inwards Seoul called Dongdaemun Market. It is located inwards Dongdaemun district surrounding the subway station of the same name. The marketplace is broken into 5 major districts, A-D. Yes, it is that massive! The marketplace contains 30,000 specialty stores, 50,000 manufacturers, 26 shopping malls as well as is spread out amid 10 entire blocks. Today it is oftentimes referred to equally the “night market” because it is opened upwardly all night. Originally, the marketplace exclusively operated from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The marketplace is zoned, so similar items are inwards the same area. Dongdaemun sells everything imaginable from have on to pharmaceutical supplies. We specially enjoyed the nutrient stalls that were inwards the market. They are also “zoned” so similar foods are inwards the same area. They sell a huge diverseness of foods including blood sausage, Korean pancakes, silkworm larva, raw fish (sashimi), tripe, dumplings, soup, edible bean porridge as well as much more! There are also a large diverseness of dissimilar kinds of Korean restaurants as well as street nutrient here.
The nutrient stall surface area was the most congested house I conduct maintain been to inwards Korea hence far. (Keep inwards heed it was a Sat as well as it is non ever similar this.) During several points, if I stopped at all, I was pushed or bumped from behind. It was non impossible, but somewhat difficult, to notice a house to sit down at 1 of these eating house stalls.
For luncheon nosotros settled on a dumpling as well as Korean noodle soup stall. It was rattling hard to brand a nutrient selection amongst SO many options. Thaddeus had knife-cut noodles inwards his soup. The adult woman manning the stall rolled out dough as well as and so cutting the noodles amongst a knife earlier cooking them inwards the broth of the soup. I had rice cakes inwards my soup. They were small-scale circular cakes that are a traditional nutrient inwards Korea. Our soups were the same, other than that, as well as had clear broth as well as cabbage inwards it. There were also large dumplings inwards the soup as well as it of class came amongst the traditional Korean side dieshes. The portions were absolutely HUGE as well as impossible to finish. It cost less than $5.00 per meal.
After stuffed ourselves nosotros continued walking through the metropolis as well as made our agency to the Cheongy-Cheong river, an unearth urban renewal river walk through the downtown. Floats lined the river to celebrate a “Reenactment of King Sejong’s son’s umbilical cord saving ceremony”- equally stated past times a flyer a prissy homo gave us. A replica pot, that held the king’s son's umbilical cord, was on the street side past times side to the river.
As nosotros continued walking, the “Friendship Festival” was also occurring nearby. Stands were laid upwardly amongst nutrient as well as cultural demonstrations from roughly the world. We were weren't ready to consume again, but I did sweat a hibiscus tea from the Sudan. It was pretty good. I also tried some herbal healing tea from Korea. It was non so good. World Vision Korea was also at the Friendship Festival. They were hosting their ain final result called “Love Loaf” where people could fill upwardly up breadstuff loaf-shaped piggy banks amongst coins for hunger. Children were playing inwards the piggy banks that were piled together only similar it was a ball pit. People were also throwing thousands of coins into a puddle sized container. It was a pretty unique site to see!
Our side past times side halt was Gyeonbukgung Palace. The palace was originally built inwards 1395, but burned downwardly several times, since that period. It is the largest palace of 5 that were built in Seoul by the Joseon Dynasty.
The palace is MASSIVE. I would justice that it goes on for what seemed similar a one-half of a mile or more. On the 24-hour interval nosotros visited the palace, they had only restored the due east wall, as well as in that location were many events occurring. There was a alive orchestra inwards forepart of the palace, as well as people were lined inwards as well as roughly the surface area inwards traditional costumes doing reenactments. Thaddeus’ favorite reenactment of the 24-hour interval was a turtle send (Geobukseon the world's commencement armored warship used past times the famous Korean Admiral Yi, Sun, Shin to repel the invading Japanese during the 16th Century Imjin War) that actors moved roughly on the exterior of the palace.
Behind the palace is the Korea Folk Museum. Because of the day's celebrations, it was complimentary to larn into the museum as well as palace! The Folk Museum was rather small. As many of you lot may know, Korea lacks many of their artifacts because they were stolen past times the Japanese on multiple occasions throughout history.
Nonetheless, inwards truthful Korean fashion, the museum was rattling technologically advanced and filled amongst many neat videos nigh Korea as well as cultural displays. I especially enjoyed the models of folk houses, eating utensils, as well as dissimilar kinds of kimchi.
Our concluding halt of the 24-hour interval was Jogyesa Buddhist Temple. It was my favorite. Buddah’s birthday is approaching on May 17th. The weekend prior, Seoul hosts the Lantern Parade as well as Flower Festival to celebrate his life.
People at the temple were asset Korean graphic symbol (hangul) lanterns to gear upwardly for the event. Lanterns were strung upwardly throughout the temple. The entire surface area was very peaceful. I flora it rattling interesting to motion into the temple (taking my shoes off commencement of course) as well as seeing the golden Buddha, fruit as well as rice sacrifices as well as people praying.
At this betoken nosotros decided to lastly telephone telephone it a 24-hour interval later on some amazing sightseeing, lots of walking as well as neat eating!
Sunday was children’s 24-hour interval inwards Korea as well as also some other rattling special international vacation - OUR commencement anniversary!! We attended an International Baptist church building located inwards our district. There were a neat amount of Children’s Day festivities occurring at church, as well as each historic menses grouping came upwardly as well as sang a song. It was rattling cute.
Following church building Thaddeus wanted to celebrate our anniversary past times going to a eating house called Petra, which serves Middle Eastern food. I tried falafel for the commencement time.
Following luncheon nosotros headed to I-Park Mall. I-Park is 1 of the biggest shopping malls inwards Korea. You tin buy anything imaginable inwards this mall as well as exercise countless activities. I-Park houses a 4-D pic theater, soccer stadium, as well as mini-golf class as well as fifty-fifty has an entire flooring of marriage halls! There are also many neat restaurants, of course. It wouldn't be inwards Korea if there wasn't food.
We had a neat fourth dimension strolling roughly as well as window shopping inwards the mall. Again all items were zoned to dissimilar floors as well as sections. I bought a much needed blow dryer as well as had a fun fourth dimension trying to communicate amongst the salesmen as well as conduct maintain them exhibit me the dissimilar options as well as features. One of my favorite things nigh the mall was, inwards several locations, they had adorable puppies for sale inwards footling drinking glass cubes on pedi-stools amongst hot pinkish litter box papers. The displays were pretty wild to come across as well as actually made me desire a puppy for a brief moment.
I-Park was also celebrating Children’s Day as well as had a huge display inwards the courtyard of the mall, consummate amongst giant inflatable Spongebobs as well as lots of fun activities for kids.
After nosotros checked out the mall, nosotros went into the basement where E-Mart is located. It is a large Korean grocery store. Since it was a Sunday, the store was packed! It was our commencement catch to a large grocery store. Throughout the aisles were sales people amongst speakers, yelling nigh what they were selling, as well as offering samples. It was similar aught you lot would ever come across inwards America! We had a fun fourth dimension trying some local groceries as well as making some nutrient purchases.
After stocking upwardly on Korean groceries, nosotros made the long walk domicile stopping at the Korean War Memorial, as well as and so walking through the Yongsan American Army base. I must advert that some of this walking is voluntary. As nosotros tin conduct maintain the subway to most places for a trip that to a greater extent than oftentimes than non terms roughly a dollar. Taxis are also extremely cheap, but nosotros savor sightseeing when nosotros conduct maintain the fourth dimension as well as when the weather condition is nice. And amongst that said, Springtime is beautiful here. We've had days total of sunshine inwards the 70’s It was a wonderful weekend!
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