Seoul was a very interesting city. We were staying in the Myeong-dong area near a subway station which was a perfect location.
When we were tired on arrival and just wandered around our area had a coffee and, in the evening, had some rather delicious street food. The next day we planned to walk from our hotel to Changdeokgung Palace. We walked through Jongmyo Park We stopped in Nakseonjae a residential compound built in 1847 for King Keonjong. We then headed to the Palace Changdeokgung built in the early 15th century there is so much to see around the palace and gardens a grand greenhouse and also a secret garden.
We left and ended up having lunch down a side street but unfortunately lost our bearings by getting out at the wrong subway station. The next day was our excursion to the DMZ.
Up early to be on time at the meeting point. It was a very sobering tour. We learnt about the history surrounding the Korean War also how World War 2 impacted on Korea. We travelled to a suspension bridge which was built as a memorial to the British Gloucestershire Regiment which had been wiped out during the Korean War. We also went to a position where we could view North Korea. Tensions between the two Koreas has escalated recently. It is definitely worth going on the excursion.
Suspension Bridge DMZ
The following day went to Gyeongbokgung, Seoul’s largest palace. The grand buildings once held scholars, eunuchs, concubines, soldiers and servants. The original palace was built in 1395 and was the royal residence until 1592 when the Japanese invaded and burnt it down and remained ruins until 1865 when the king started to rebuild it.
There is a Changing of the Guard ceremony which is very interesting though it is mainly theatre as no one lives in the palace now as Korea doesn’t have a king anymore. We went to the palace museum and like all museums was very interesting.
We were able to walk to the cable car on which we passed some of the city’s historic wall. The N Seoul Tower, it situated at the geographical centre of Seoul and gives a great panoramic view of the city. We unfortunately came back a different way and didn’t stumble across any of the cafes we saw on our way up. Finally, we found one and really needed a coffee. The only accompaniment was honey bread, when it arrived, we surprised to say the least, we were sharing and surprisingly it was sweet but not super sweet we thought it would be.
We visited Deoksugung Palace we missed the changing of the guard, behind it is the Seokjojeon a 19th century palace which completed in 1910 in a European neo-classical style designed by a British architect. One needs to book a tour to enter which run every half hour and can be booked on arrival. It is worth visiting.
We love to go to bookshops wherever we travel and there is a superb one in Seoul, Kybo Bookshop at 1 Jong-ro easily found in a large building and close to a subway station. It is an amazing store.
Not far from there at the Four Seasons Hotel which hosts a speakeasy style bar called Charles.H. one has to pay to enter but it’s taken off after you bought drinks. (I think just stops people from just being sticky-beaks). We bucked at the prices at first but thought why not and we had a couple of drinks and some food. It was very enjoyable experience.
On our last day we went to Museum Korea of History showing the transformation from the beginning of the Joseon dynasty until the city as we see it today very informative. We then went the Namdaemun Market a huge market with hundreds of stalls selling clothes, handicrafts, food and much more. We found a small place to eat and I ordered gimbap (like sushi rolls). We sat down on stools, when called I went to collect our food, a lovely Korean woman next to us went and got the pickles and soup for us of which we had to help ourselves, but didn’t know about.
Then we wandered the market some more then returned back to our hotel when there it bucketed down with rain. It was lucky that it stopped before we needed to go out for dinner. We ate Italian.
Next morning we took the train (pre-booked) to Gygeong-ju, on arrival we caught a taxi to our hotel (Lahan Select) a bit of a cultural shock for us as it is a resort and expensive. It’s next to a lake where there are a range of other hotels and resorts. We had lunch and had a short wander around part of the picturesque lake. That night we had drinks and an aperitivo platter at the bar.
The next day up early to go on our tour to the UNESCO World Heritage sites. There were only two others on the tour with us which was great. The weather was perfect, we saw many different sites which are spread out over a very large area. We learnt a lot about the ancient Silla Dynasty which ranged from 1st Century BC to 7th Century CE, we visited the burial mounds and viewed many of the artefacts. Lunch was included which was delicious.
The following day we walked all around the lake, stopped in a café for our morning coffee, further along we came to a variety of buildings including some shops and ended up having lunch at one of the restaurants.
Near one of the hotels is a Modern Art Museum and there was a delightful exhibition of Jean Jullien sketched and paintings.
Then back to our hotel for an afternoon coffee and later our aperitivo treat at the bar.
Last day we took a taxi to the Museum and had a free tour which lasted all morning and was very informative, well worth the visit. Had a very ordinary lunch there then returned to our hotel. We felt tired and couldn’t be bothered doing much else. Rested then had out usual aperitivo for the last time.
The next morning, we were off to Busan, with a private transfer. After we checked into the hotel we explored the city a bit, had some lunch, got some cash out, then returned to the hotel. I decided I’d like to eat Italian for a change. Looked up the restaurant and directions, thought I had it in the bag. I followed them exactly but somehow; they didn’t take us where we needed go. I finally gave up and asked some young fellows for help. They took us to the door of the restaurant Osteria Aboo they were really a very delightful group. Bonus the food there was delicious.
Gamcheon Culture Village is very colourful and stands out on the hilly terrain however it was a bit disappointing as the artisan shops were closed. We walked around and finally out of the village and caught a bus and got off at the last stop.
We were close to Yongdusan Park and the Diamond Tower. The Park was very peaceful and there is an amazing view from the top of the tower. We also went to BIFF Mall then the Market, which was full of the usual stuff. Then we caught the train back to base and as we were tired, we ate at the Sky Bar at our hotel. At the hotel they had robots that collected the dirty dishes from the tables when summoned, we thought they were rather cute.
The following morning, we planned to visit the UN Memorial Park, this was set up to honour the international fighters who died during the Korean War (1950-1953), it is a very poignant and sobering place. From there we made our way to the Busan Museum, which was very informative especially around the history from 1800s and the movement for independence from the Japanese. The down side was the Museum canteen as choice of food was extremely minimal and less than ordinary.
We’d had gone off track a bit, couldn’t find not only the subway we arrived at but any subway entrance. I asked various people as to the location of one of the stations to no avail. However, a lovely woman asked where we wanted to go. I pointed to it on the map and we followed her to a bus stop, spoke to the driver to make sure we got off at the correct stop, then pushed us on board and paid our fare.
. Our last day in Busan we took the train, then taxi to the Beomesa Temple, a large complex, a working Buddhist temple for retreats and worship. From there we returned to the city and visited the Art Gallery which was disappointing, it was a very large building with very few exhibits, some were interesting but others what I call ‘wankerish.’ We eventually returned to our hotel.
The following day we had a transfer to Gwangju as a stopover to catch the plane to Jeju Island. A late pick up had us arriving at 3.30pm. We were had a little walk around and that night went to an Italian Restaurant that was close by, it must be the worst Italian restaurant in the world, the meal and wine were spectacularly awful.
Next day off to Jeju Island, after arriving went to the tourist information office to get some maps which weren’t that helpful, had a bit of a look around, nothing spectacular.
The first full day we took a taxi Dongmun Traditional market, which had heaps of seafood and mandarins. Then there was a city tour bus, like the hop on hop off ones. This took us to the Yongyeon suspension bridge, then Dodubong Peak which is easy to climb ending with a great sea view and enjoyed a coastal walk. Our final stop was at the Gwandeokjeong Pavilion which was a training ground for soldiers during the Jeon Dynasty and is the oldest existing building in Jeju. The various buildings in the complex presented dioramas of those times. The following day we took a taxi tour.
Jeju is a volcanic island and famous for the women free divers gathering seafood. Many now are old as the younger women are no taking up this. The novel ‘The Island of Sea Women’ by Lisa See is a good introduction of that culture plus the history of the island during and after the Second World War. Now most of the women divers show tourists their skills but when we went on a taxi tour on a Monday it was their rest day, and a Memorial Park for the loss of the citizens during and after the war was also closed that day. We did go to lava tube which is the largest and longest in the world and truly amazing. We also visited Weljeon Beach, then Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak we didn’t go to the top as it would have used up too much time and we wouldn’t have had time to visit something else.
Unfortunately, my husband missed a step coming down a took a tumble, no broken bones but a lot of bleeding! It looked really bad, but didn’t require a hospital visit. The amazing aspect was how so many people came to the rescue, a couple appeared with a first aid kit, then a man insisting on putting a salve on the wound and gently applying the band aids.
After this drama we visited a folk village, with people living there in traditional houses. It was very fascinating, we walked around without intruding.
The next day we needed to get some better bandages for my husband’s wounds. We eventually found a pharmacy but hesitated before we went in when a woman with no English wanted us to go to a doctor but with a bit of miming, we were dragged into the pharmacy, obtained the bandages we needed. I hesitated a little then another woman who was there took the bandage packet off me and insisted on putting them on my husband’s wounds.
From there we went to the Folk and History Museum which had a very informative and comprehensive display. We then strolled along the coast for a while but by then we were tired, accidently came across the place we had dinner the previous night so ate there then a taxi back to the hotel.
We found South Korea a very interesting place and everywhere people from young to old were most friendly and helpful. I recommend a visit.
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