Last Winter Snow in Seoul, Korea

Wednesday, Feb 10

Here we go!! I've lived in Korea for seven whole months now and still have not visited its capital Seoul. It's a shame really. But with cases on the decline, I feel better about going to this giant city and getting to enjoy my week and a half there. My flight out of Ulsan leaves at noon. There are only two gates at this airport so the process is super quick. I have an hour in the air before touching down at Gimpo Airport. From there it takes me about 45 minutes to reach my guesthouse in central Myeongdong. The room is small but nice, and I'm feeling sleepy so I nap for a while. I head out at dinner time and stroll around. Myeongdong is known for cosmetics shopping so every other store seems to sell sheet masks and skin creams. The narrow streets and lit-up signs make for a nice atmosphere. There aren't really a lot of people here and only a few street food stalls are set up. I go to Myeongdong Kyoja and get some kalguksu, knife-cut noodles, to go.

Thursday, Feb 11

After lunch at Isaac's Toast, my first stop today is Ewha Women's University, well the streets around there. The shops here specialize in inexpensive trendy women's fashion, so trendy that I start noticing a lot of the shops carry the same brands. I browse around and end up getting a couple cute shirts. Next I go to the Hongik University area which actually has a street dedicated to fashion. The Hongdae vibe is definitely a lot more grunge or counterculture compared to Idae's preppy/cutesy style. I much prefer this area and it's multitude of vintage shops. It's so interesting just walking around and people watching. I can't help but feel vastly inferior to all the really cool Seoulites breezing past me. This street usually is full of buskers as well, but sadly it's forbidden due to corona. I buy some stationery then get a cool long coat at a vintage store. I randomly stumble upon a Harry Potter themed cafe just outside. My friend who I'm on the phone with begs me to go inside. The drinks are overpriced but the atmosphere makes up for it. It's at least four different floors themed differently and lots of photo spots. They're even playing the soundtrack. As I leave the cafe I noticed my phone battery at 2%. Luckily, getting the subway back to my place is pretty easy so I could do it without my phone. I let it charge for a little then head back out for dinner. I go to Gaeseong Mandu Koong which is known for their delicious dumpling soup.

Friday, Feb 12

Happy New Year! Today is Seollal (설날) or Lunar New Year in Korea! On this day, people travel to their family's hometown, eat rice cake soup, and pay respects to their ancestors. Children wear hanbok, make a traditional bow to their parents and grandparents, and receive money in return. During this time, Seoul gets pretty empty as everyone travels out of it and most places are closed. I struggled trying to figure out what to do on this day. I walk along Cheonggyecheon, a stream park cutting through the city, in search of lunch. The only places I find open are chains and fast food so I get a sandwich at a cafe. A palace nearby says it has changing of the guard ceremonies a few times a day so I walk over there to find that they are not doing it because of corona (and possibly the new year as well). A lot of other New Year events that could've happened today were also cancelled. It's not until I get back to my room that I google and realize admission to all palaces is free today... Oops. I also have really bad blisters on my heels so walking at all hurts. I take the evening to rest up a bit.

Saturday, Feb 13

I had a late start this morning for... reasons and decide to order breakfast in bed to cheer myself up. It definitely helps. Then I walk to Insadong, an area known for its traditional side. Shops line the main street selling souvenirs of all kinds. I'll expand on that a bit tomorrow. Today I just window-shop (or "eye shop" as Koreans say) and people watch. The street is absolutely bustling which makes me wonder how busy it would've been without corona, when tourists are allowed to come here again. The amount of westerners I see in Seoul is actually quite shocking in comparison to Ulsan. It's so strange seeing people that look like me on the street and have people in stores and restaurants that actually speak English. It's a nice crutch and makes getting around easy, but I'm glad Ulsan doesn't have as much English being spoken. I then head back to Hongdae once night falls and wander around more. There are lots of people and I imagine this would be one of the places to be if nightlife was still a thing.

Sunday, Feb 14

Happy Valentine's Day! In Korea, usually only women give gifts to their partners on this day. Exactly a month later on White Day, men give gifts. Couple culture is huge here and being single is generally stigmatized. Every month on the 14th is a "holiday" for couples. Kiss day is on June 14th, photo day is in September, even singles get their own day in April where they eat black bean noodles and lament their singleness. Though these days aren't very commercialized, being a couple is. On their 100th day together, couples usually exchange rings. It's also common for couples to coordinate their outfits or even wear the same exact thing. At this time, stores are overflowing with gifts and special "couple pack" items. This morning I spent some time with my own boyfriend. Through video chat I brought him to Insadong where he picked out a name stamp like the one I got back in Jeonju. I walked around a bit and bought inju, a red mugwort paste for stamping, and a brush, an ink stick, and an ink stone for calligraphy. You wet the stone then rub the stick against it to create ink. Then, I wandered around some shopping areas and department stores but didn't find anything I wanted. It's also incredibly warm today! Got up to 70 around midday.

Monday, Feb 15

Today I buy some makeup at one of the only Sephoras in Korea. In the same mall I also find a cute turtleneck and a blazer. I have really good donkatsu for lunch, rest a bit, then go to the Seoul Express Bus Terminal for sunset. Head up to the top and you've got a decent view of Namsan Tower in the distance. It's pretty but not really worth the trek on its own. Head in the opposite direction, down, and you've got a labyrinth of cheap clothing stores spreading out for what seems like miles underneath Seocho-gu. I do a quick pass through but you could easily spend hours getting horribly lost down here. Most of the clothes are cheap so this place is very budget-friendly.

Tuesday, Feb 16

Finally I'm getting to some excitement! It's snowing this morning!! I wake up to a gentle falling of the stuff out my window. This could perhaps be the last snow of winter so I feel really lucky to see it. It's freezing out, but it's so fun walking around in the snowww~~ My friend arrived in town today, so we meet at a vegan bakery near her. I get hot chocolate and cinnamon bread to warm me up. We chat for a bit and decide that the Bukchon hanok village would look stunning coated in snow. We are not at all disappointed. The snow has stuck so there's a nice few centimetres to paint the old tile roofs white. We are the only ones here which is a feat considering how packing this place usually is. It's so cool seeing modern Seoul and Namsan Tower in the distance, juxtaposed with the traditional houses we stand amongst. We wander around, taking photos, enjoying the ambiance, and pondering how cool it would be to actually live in one of these houses. We're even able to see the top of the snow-covered Gyeongbokgung palace in the distance. One of the side paths we descend down takes us to a tiny studio full of souvenirs and artwork. The artist, a retired professor, sits painting away while we browse.

We get lunch at a hole-in-the-wall spot at the base of the village - kalguksu for me, dumplings for my friend (since I'd had them before on a previous visit). Hunger sated, we make our way to a traditional hanok that you can actually go into as long as you take your shoes off first. The inside is small but full of traditional knots, some on display and some for sale. As we marvel at their beauty and intricacy, the shop owner tells us about different types of knots and their uses. Here at the Donglim Workshop you can actually try your hand at knot-making. The shop offers short and easy knot classes where you can make a key ring, bracelet, or necklace to take home. We both opt for the dragonfly-shaped key ring, choose our colors, and watch a demo of the knot we have to use to complete it. It takes some getting used to but we're pros in no time. The shop owner explains how his whole family makes traditional knots and each person has their own signature. He then finishes off our pendants with his own signature knot.

Next we walk a bit to another area nearby with narrow, pedestrian-only streets and hanok cafes aplenty. We enter one, buy some tea and take off our shoes to sit on the floor. The vibes are so nice in these hanok cafes, but we realize that it's not the cafe we had meant to go to. The other one, Madang Flower Cafe, is just a few cafes down. The inside is very cute and small but neither of us feel like buying another drink just to sit down there. These tiny streets are so packed with cool cafes and restaurants that you could come back every day and not go to all of them. We pass one with a mini pool inside, one with a koi pond and water wheel, and one growing their own greens. We walk around the maze-like streets then head back to Hongdae area for dinner with a few friends. To my surprise, they have khachapuri, a traditional Georgian dish of cheese in a bread boat topped with a raw egg that you swirl in to cook. It's just as delicious as you'd expect.

Wednesday, Feb 17

This morning I meet my friends at Arc N Book, a bookstore famous for its book arch. I'm always down for books so we take a few pictures and point out all the YA titles we recognize. We'd originally planned to go to the palace today, but it's even colder than yesterday. Opting for indoor activities, we get Egg Drop for breakfast then walk to Insadong. Here there's a popular digital media art exhibit. Each room we enter has a different theme. The first is the foggy moon room. The next room shows each of the zodiac and we scan our wristbands on the wall to receive our fortunes. The next room is the best room. Floating all around are color-changing paper lanterns. Their reflections in the mirrors make them look endless. We move through each room, take photos, and leave a note for others to find.

Our next stop is right across the street: Poop Cafe! Yes, I spelled that right. This cafe's theme is, you guessed it, poop. There are cute poop-shaped pillows, toilet bowl mugs, and squat toilet plates. After indulging in a waffle, our next stop takes a whole hour to get to by subway, the famous Gangnam. We browse a thrift store hidden among the designer malls, then walk to the wrong SM building. This area is generally where all the kpop entertainment company headquarters are, but sadly we must've found the studios instead of the main building. Instead, we go to the COEX Mall. Here is the Instagram famous Starfield Library stacked to the tall ceiling with books. We're starving at this point so we make the journey back to Hongdae for NY-style pizza. After, we descend to an underground beer and hotteok restaurant. Hotteok is like a pancake stuffed with brown sugar, honey, and nuts. We get the absolutely giant apple cinnamon version to split. So yummy!

Thursday, Feb 18

Today I meet my friends at a diner for a full American-style French toast breakfast before our hour trip back to Gangnam. This time we make it to the actual SMTown building. The bottom floor has a restaurant, cafe, and shop where you can buy all kinds of kpop paraphernalia. After buying drinks, we find out that the cafe seats are taken up by a photo pop up event and that we needed to make a reservation to enter the shop. Disappointed that all the reservation times were filled (despite no one else actually shopping there right now), we leave and take a bus to JYP. Only to find that the cafe there isn't open. After some curious/creepy peeping through the window (another entrance maybe, like at SM?), we give up. Sad and hungry, we decide to go to the giant Lotte World Tower we passed by earlier. It's the tallest building in Korea and fifth tallest in the world. It's dizzying looking up to the top of it. We check out the huge mall at its base, get lunch, check out the extremely fancy bathrooms, and decide to save our trip to the top for another day. We have plans to meet another friend for dinner soon and it's a long subway ride back. We get to the area a little early so we head to a nearby vintage shop to explore both the indoor and outdoor sections of clothing. As we look around the outdoor terrace, we see a vending machine with a PUSH label. Turns out it's actually a door to a staircase leading down to the rest of the store. Super cool. We get dinner at this cool hole-in-the-wall ramen restaurant. There are only ten chairs seated around a U-shaped table and the food is really good. After, we look around for a cafe with another vending machine as the door but no luck. Instead we chill at a different, lamer cafe. (The hot chocolate is delicious but what's the point if I can't walk through a vending machine to get it.)

Friday, Feb 19

Today is the day I've been waiting for! I meet my friends at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the first and largest Joseon palace built in 1395. As with most historical places in Korea, most of it had been destroyed and rebuilt later on, preserving the original layout and design. This place is HUGE. The front gate stands just in front of a busy street. We pass through the turtle doors flanked by royal guards. Their colorful outfits are so cool and wholly traditional. And wow this place is huge. The first courtyard itself seems like it could fit multiple football fields. Through another gate we come to the main hall where the king would great guests. It's beautifully painted and features a raised throne platform and golden dragons on the ceiling. It feels incredibly grand and I can imagine this place filled with all kinds of fancily dressed royalty and nobility. We pick a direction and just explore. There are so many different buildings that seem to go on forever. While walking through random courtyards, we come across things like a Korean sundial and an old well beside the sojubang (palace kitchen). The tallest building here is the National Folk Museum. Surrounding it we see zodiac statues, Jeju grandfather statues, and a replica traditional house. We stroll the palace some more, visiting the queen's quarters with it's intricate orange brick designs and a pavilion surrounded by a huge pond. All the grass and trees are bare this season so I'd love to come back in the spring or fall. As we're making our way out, we hear drums in the distance and have to scoot out of the way of eight royal guards coming our direction. They carry flags, shields, and weapons and are generally quite intimidating despite the bright colors of their clothes. With hardly any other tourists here in the palace (and some of the tourists also wearing traditional clothes), it's easy to picture it all those years ago. Past the gate, the rise of skyscrapers making up modern Seoul becomes an anachronism to the palace's traditional design. It's strange stepping out into the bustling city once again.

We skirt along the palace walls on our way to Bukchon Hanok Village once more. This time there are quite a few more people and even a film crew of some sort. We take more photos and get some tea with a good view of the surrounding area. We hop on a subway for a very late lunch at Jean Frigo. It's out of the way in a weird back alley, but the tiny shop with fruit on display and a line of fridges gives it away. There's no one here and from the outside you'd be completely confused. However, the last fridge door opens to reveal an entire restaurant hiding behind it. We walk through to the bar and are ushered to our table on the second floor. It's incredibly artsy and modern with prices to reflect. They have specialty fruit cocktails served in all different manners as well as western food. My friend and I split this really good shrimp pasta and the others share an overpriced fruit basket. It's a cool experience and I love the speakeasy vibe of the place. For dinner immediately after, we head to Itaewon, the foreigner district of Seoul. We sit down at Gusto Taco for, you guessed it, tacos. They were delicious! It was so weird being able to speak to strangers easily and hearing English conversations. For dessert we hit up a well-missed favorite, Cold Stone right across the street.

Saturday, Feb 20

Today my friends meet me at my hotel to drop off their bags and we all head over to Hongdae one last time for brunch. It's another foreigner-friendly place, Grain. Their specialty is a build-your-own plate. I got fresh carrot/apple/lime juice, yogurt with granola and fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a croissant and jam. The eggs especially were insanely good. It may seem strange to eat so much western food, but it's so hard to find good western food outside of Seoul or maybe Busan. I have Korean food a lot so it's nice to get a good taste of home as well. Honestly that's about it for this day. I had some more time but just felt so tired and dreading going back to work on Monday. I know I'll be coming back to Seoul so I'm not too worried about seeing everything now.

Sunday, Feb 21

My last day! I sleep in a little and pack up (aka trying to shove everything I bought in my suitcase, giving up, and putting the rest in a shopping bag to carry) for check out at 11am. After leaving my bags behind, I walk around Myeongdong a little, soaking in the last bits of Seoul. I window shop a bit and come across StyleNanda, a five floor hotel-themed fashion shop. The first floor is the cosmetics/lobby, 2nd - cosmetics/spa, 3rd - clothing/rooms, 4th - clothing/laundry, and 5th - clothing/cafe/pool. The theme itself is enough to entice anyone inside, everything is so aesthetically pleasing with photo opportunities everywhere. I do find a few clothes that catch my eye, but they're just out of my price range. Finally, I pick up my bags, take a subway to the airport, and at 2pm I'm taking off. I land in Ulsan at 3 and I'm back home by 3:30. I'm sad to be leaving, but I had an amazing trip. Now it's time to stress about meeting my new coteacher tomorrow.

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