Seoul, Day 3
I always do lots of research before we go somewhere. I create a Google doc, and anytime I see something of interest from a source I trust, I just cut, paste, dump, and am done. I tried to go back and put the docs into some assortment of assembly, as in by neighborhood, and I did start that concept but never fully completed the mission. Fred has taken over the next step, which is a dream. It is a great combo. I do the research, he takes the info and figures out each day. I do need to note the source in the future. It reminds me of when we went cross-country post college for two months and I got a sticker for our car that said “Freddie is my co-pilot”. Not much has changed.
Today we hit up a few galleries and started our day in the “old” area called Samcheong-Dong. Bukchon Hanok Village is worth seeing all the old homes that still exist. People live there and there are multiple signs in the windows asking people to be quiet and respectful. It must be tough to deal with the tourists on a daily basis.
Finally, there are some decent scones at a tiny shop!
We strolled into a gallery and saw Shiota Chiharu’s work, an artist we were lucky enough to acquire over a decade ago.
Before our next stop, we saw a bakery that makes “milk bread,” which is popular in Korea. It is a bit like challah but heavy on the milk instead of the egg and a bit chewy.
Then we jumped on the subway and went to Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by Zaha Hadid, RIP. The structure is central to a major urban development project. It is a multi-purpose space open 24 hours.
Next stop, Gwangjang Market. There are several markets in Seoul, and this one, like the others, sells various goods, but we went for the food. I have always believed that if there is a line, especially when it comes to food, I should get in it.
Beancurd pancakes are supposedly something one must have. We did and it was quite delicious!
We parked ourselves at a booth and had two soups. One was a noodle dumpling soup.
The other was a cold buckwheat soup, literally doused in ice. Both were excellent.
After fully stuffing ourselves, we took the subway over to Ikseon-Dong, a very hip neighborhood with lots of stores and cafes, heavily slanted toward men’s stores.
That day, there was a military parade. As we relaxed in our room, we could hear and watch the parade. Several jets flew overhead and left colored streaming air over the parade. Then, a few military helicopters flew right through the center of the buildings. It scared the hell out of me. They are loud!
Dinner was at On 6.5. One of the best dishes we had, except for the soups at the market, uni and squid ink pasta. A total wow.
I’m pretty sure we did 20,000 steps that day.