Seoul

This weekend I took a trip to Seoul, sprawling metropolis of Korea. One of my favorite parts of the city was the Cheonggyecheon Stream, which was recently uncovered and lined with walking paths, waterfalls, etc. for the public. It runs through a large portion of the downtown but is set off from traffic, so it's a great way to get from place to place.

My first stop was Gyeongbokgung Palace, where I took an English guided tour. The palace was originally built during the Joseon Dynasty (1395), but completely demolished by the Japanese. Since 1990, they have restored many of the buildings, and it's very beautiful.


















I met my friend Hyo Jung, whom I met at St. Olaf, for lunch. She lives in Seoul with her parents and is getting her masters in international business at Yonsei University. It was good to catch up with her (who would ever have thought we'd cross paths again?) and get some of her insider tips.








I stumbled across this "senior citizens" park, which was a peaceful place to catch my breath and watch some of the old men play a game that looked like checkers.



This was when I got lost in Seoul....but got to see some of the older, more authentic part of town that has been giving way to the modern apartment buildings. I also saw Insadong, a famous street with older shops and lots of antiques.

There were many more Westerners here than I am used to in Namyangju, especially in Itaewon, which is kind of an expat (and U.S. military) district, with lots of Canadians and Australians.


I found the subway system to be fast, efficient and clean. Riding public transportation here always makes me wish we had more mass transit in the U.S. Many people do drive cars (pretty much exclusively Hyundai, Kia, or Samsung, which bought the French auto maker Renault), but the subway, high-speed train and buses connect nearly everything. Another side note: I have been amazed at how nearly everyone driving has a GPS that they watch TV on. The IT teacher who drives me into school everyday watches Korean soaps in rush-hour traffic!





My last stop was the National Museum of Korea, which had lots of cultural artifacts and artwork. The influences of China and Japan was very evident; my favorite was the celadon pottery.