Yesterday we all slept in and had a relaxed morning. While the kids and grandparents took it easy, Lauren and I went out and explored the older part of Seoul city by foot. We found our way to the Cheonggyecheon which is a cool modern recreational space.
As mid day approached we regrouped and took a kimchi making class which was a lot of fun. The instructor spoke exclusively Korean and we did our best to follow along. We grilled up some tofu and enjoyed our home cooked kimchi.
After the class we made our way to Gwangjang Market. It is a vast covered market comprised of multiple alleys with an incredible assortment of food, fabrics, clothes and accessories. We explored the market over a few hours and had a late lunch there too. Some of the food offered for sale was rather intense which is putting it mildly. Lauren is way more adventuresome than me :)
One highlight for me was the group of Korean teenagers that asked to take a selfie with me. I wonder if it is a running joke to find the dorky American dude of the day or if they liked my Twitter tshirt.
The late afternoon heat was starting wear us out so we bought tickets to K-live. It’s a hologram concert with Korean pop artists. Really fun and kids loved it. I was a little concerned my dad wasn’t going to like it. After the show I asked him what he thought. His reply, “why was it so short?” Phew.
These past few days of Seoul have been most interesting to me. The most striking thing is the lack of historical buildings and as compared to comparable European cities like Rome, Italy for example. Seoul is a city with thousands of years of history but the combination of war, occupation and rapid economic growth has created a rather modern looking city with 20 million people making it happen every day.
Today we leave Seoul and will make our way to the east coast of South Korea
(Please excuse any typos and lack of links. I wrote this post on my phone)