Summer Vacay continued...

Following our first day of vacation was a week topped off with exploration, relaxation, and tasty treats. It was really pleasant to have a week away from teaching. We could not escape completely however, as we found ourselves talking daily about the children we have grown to love so much. We were happy as can be to get a break, but admitted missing all their faces dearly.

Nonetheless we were able to get out and do some things around Seoul that we had yet to do so far during our journey.

For example, we were able to go to the pool. All the public pools in Seoul are positioned along the Han River in various districts. The pool we went to was located in the Jamwon area (location: 37°31'11.40"N, 127°00'37.41"E). We were blessed to get a couple of hours of sun in the morning before the eternal overcast returned. There was one subtle difference we noticed about the pools in Korea though...swim caps. EVERYBODY (exclude these two Americans) had swim caps. We did not spot a single person without one. We began to think it was a rule here so we entered the pool extremely cautiously, polarized ourselves to the wall and kept our heads dry above the surface of the water for fear we would set off alarms by getting our hair wet. After a little google searching on the subject we discovered many pools in various parts of Asia do, in fact, have swim cap rules (not like we could have understood if there were signs posted) The pool was a great time otherwise though!



A traditional teahouse was another experience we had yet to be exposed to. After walking through a few art galleries stopping at a few street vendors in Insadong, we took a side alley in search of tea.

(LOC: 37°34'29.12"N, 126°59'05.12"E)

We found ourselves entering a quaint little spot ordering up a one 5-flavor and one persimmon tea. The quiet environment and traditional decor made it a very relaxing hour.





Seoul Tower: This city is ENORMOUS. Seoul metropolitan with its 20+million population boasts 2nd in the world largest metropolitan areas. In the middle of the city is Mt. Namsan (and by Mt. I mean hill [rocky mountain standards]). Erected atop the hill is Seoul Tower (Loc: 37°33'05.46"N, 126°59'16.03"E). This location provides a panoramic view of the incredible city. The mountain itself is Namsan park. The top of the mountain surrounding the tower hosts a Teddy Bear museum, traditional Korean restaurant, and a 3-D theater.

Looking West



Looking south towards Gangnam (our area)



Fixed to the guard rail lining the top of Mt. Namsan were thousands upon thousands of locks. Each is a "lock of love" couples attach with their names and short messages. It was a pretty awesome site.



We will surely be returning to this spot as there are a number of running trails along the base of the of the park.



One of our favorite stops Deoksugung Palace (Loc: 37°33'57.00"N, 126°58'29.75"E). This palace is one of the five royal palaces of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The palace was named Deoksugung, meaning palace of virtuous longevity, by King Gojong's son, Sujong" in hopes that his father would live long there. While there we were able to watch a re-enactment of the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony of the Joseon Dynasty.











Trying to capture the traditional Korean architecture against the western style building against the modern skyscraper



Unfortunately the Rodin Gallery nearby was closed :(



The film Up! finally arrived in Korea during our break, which we opted to see promptly. We requested tickets for the 3-D version from a woman working the box office when she gave us a bizarre look and said Korean, Korean while motioning with her hand from her mouth outward. We saw the 2-D version in English thanks to the kind lady who gave us the heads up. The movie was fantastic!

Would you take a ride on a "pleasure cruise"? Sounds a bit shady, but extremely enjoyable. The Han River Pleasure Cruise owns a fleet of ships holding from 50-300 passengers taking trips up and down the Han River. We opted for a night cruise to see some of the city lights.




We are amusement park fanatics and lovers of roller coasters, how could we not visit one of the world's largest indoor theme parks, Lotte World. The park is not located entirely indoors, but a very large chunk was indeed under roof.





There were, of course, very interesting sites, including these enormous bows so many visitors chose as a fashion accessory



Many thanks to this man for keeping those in long lines far from boredom...



For anyone who was a Vine patron 05-07ish know exactly what this machine is...unbelievable that I wore this shirt and found this machine in Seoul...wow.





GYRO DROP(LOC: 37°30'32.29"N, 127°6'2.36"E) - Think Tower of Doom. Rotates on the way up, gives a nice view of the park and surrounding city



As I mentioned earlier, this vacation also included some tasty treats.

I used to think On The Border was a joke of a Mexican restaurant...well in Korea, this is as good as gold.



Our favorite, buffalo chicken dip. Seriously if you haven't had this before, make it immediately (especially before football season starts), click here for recipe.

Thanks to Momma Haws for the ingredients we were unable to find in Korea :)



This post has extended far too long and includes an excess of information so we'll leave it here with this "A vacation is over when you begin to yearn for your work" -Morris Fishbein

Maybe we don't yearn for work, but we sure do miss those kiddos.