Seoul - more than I expected
If I'm honest, Seoul was really a tag on to this trip, there's a direct flight from Seoul to Minneapolis, I'd never been and I thought I could find a couple of things to do. I am very happy to say that it was one of my better decisions. There were several things I could do and while I did a few things, I feel like I could come back and still have three or four days of activity.
My first full day in Seoul was spent on a full day trip to Mt. Seorak on the eastern end of the Korean Peninsula and then on to Nami Island. It was a long day, with about 4-5 hours of driving and the early part of the day was rainy. Mt. Seorak (Seoraksan) is the third highest mountain in South Korea and it is in a national park near the city of Sokcho. We were unable to climb up to the top of the mountain; apparently it can take nine hours, but I think it might take longer. I did take a cable car up, and while I don't regret it, I really wish the visibility would have been better; at that altitude the rain had turned to snow. There is a temple, Sinheungsa, within the national park.
After about 2 or 3 hours, we bundled back into the van and headed to Nami Island. Nami Island is in the Han River, and has a bit of a fairy tale feel about it; it's great for families (and the rest of us) with a lot of things for kids to do: a UNICEF train, different park areas, walking paths, shops and my favorite, fun and whimsical art work. A Korean television show, Winter Sontata, also films there. The rain had stopped by this point, so I wasn't as crabby (who, me?) as earlier.
After about three hours, we headed back to Seoul (another 90 minute drive) where we hit rush hour traffics. Our driver was very nice and a good driver, but he didn't give us a lot of information, like where we were being dropped off; it was kind of like, "here's your hat, where's your hurry". It took a minute to get my bearings, but I did find my way back to the hotel.
One of the things that I was really excited to do, and told EVERYONE I was going to do it, was to go to the DMZ (the de-militarized zone and the JSA - joint security area). I was so stoked. Do you want to guess what happened? I received an email about five days or so before the trip telling me that due to the African Swine Flu, the DMZ was closed. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? However, I was offered a modified version that called the MDL tour (Military Demarcation Line) so I jumped at that. Our guide gave us a lot of information, I can't repeat it, but I was given it. Our first stop was at Imjingak where we saw The Bridge of Freedom, barbed wire and an art exhibition; we were also roughly 12 kilometers from North Korea. Then we drove a little while to Mt. Odu Unification Observatory where I think we were less than a kilometer from North Korea and the fourth photo here is a long shot of a North Korean village. Our last stop was at the Korean War Museum. It's an immense museum with outdoor exhibit space as well as interior space; there are memorials and plaques to the countries who aided South Korea during the conflict. The inside exhibits are up there in quality with many of the museums I have been to with some interactive spaces, audio and video clips, displays covering different aspects of the war: women's contributions, medical personnel, civilian efforts. Most signage is in Korean and English. The Korean War is one that gets glossed over in school (I don't know if they still teach history in school, but when I was in school, it was barely mentioned), but I learned a lot on this day. There is a wonderful statue outside called The Statue of Brothers that symbolizes the very real heartbreak that many families in Korea experienced during the war where families were split up and fought on opposite sides, much like during the American Civil War. Unfortunately, Korea is still divided, but I heard over two days the repeated theme of reunification of North and South.
After the tour ended, our guide was helpful enough to point me in the right direction to the hotel, although I still got lost (spoiler alert).
On my last full day, I took the hop on-hop off bus, and went around the Palace course. There are several palaces in Seoul; people may not be familiar with the fact that Seoul was a monarchy, with kings/emperors, until the annexation by Japan in 1910. The annexation lasted until the end of World War II, and then sadly, the Korean War began shortly after that. I went up in Namsan Seoul Tower for some hazy views of Seoul. It's not the tallest building in Seoul, and unfortunately for me, I didn't get my ticket in time for Lotte World Tower (which is going to be for my next trip), but it is still a great experience. It was a beautiful day today, and I did a lot of walking and just trying to take everything in that I could.
Seoul, I'm so glad we met. Until the next time. Annyeong
My first full day in Seoul was spent on a full day trip to Mt. Seorak on the eastern end of the Korean Peninsula and then on to Nami Island. It was a long day, with about 4-5 hours of driving and the early part of the day was rainy. Mt. Seorak (Seoraksan) is the third highest mountain in South Korea and it is in a national park near the city of Sokcho. We were unable to climb up to the top of the mountain; apparently it can take nine hours, but I think it might take longer. I did take a cable car up, and while I don't regret it, I really wish the visibility would have been better; at that altitude the rain had turned to snow. There is a temple, Sinheungsa, within the national park.
After about 2 or 3 hours, we bundled back into the van and headed to Nami Island. Nami Island is in the Han River, and has a bit of a fairy tale feel about it; it's great for families (and the rest of us) with a lot of things for kids to do: a UNICEF train, different park areas, walking paths, shops and my favorite, fun and whimsical art work. A Korean television show, Winter Sontata, also films there. The rain had stopped by this point, so I wasn't as crabby (who, me?) as earlier.
One of the things that I was really excited to do, and told EVERYONE I was going to do it, was to go to the DMZ (the de-militarized zone and the JSA - joint security area). I was so stoked. Do you want to guess what happened? I received an email about five days or so before the trip telling me that due to the African Swine Flu, the DMZ was closed. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? However, I was offered a modified version that called the MDL tour (Military Demarcation Line) so I jumped at that. Our guide gave us a lot of information, I can't repeat it, but I was given it. Our first stop was at Imjingak where we saw The Bridge of Freedom, barbed wire and an art exhibition; we were also roughly 12 kilometers from North Korea. Then we drove a little while to Mt. Odu Unification Observatory where I think we were less than a kilometer from North Korea and the fourth photo here is a long shot of a North Korean village. Our last stop was at the Korean War Museum. It's an immense museum with outdoor exhibit space as well as interior space; there are memorials and plaques to the countries who aided South Korea during the conflict. The inside exhibits are up there in quality with many of the museums I have been to with some interactive spaces, audio and video clips, displays covering different aspects of the war: women's contributions, medical personnel, civilian efforts. Most signage is in Korean and English. The Korean War is one that gets glossed over in school (I don't know if they still teach history in school, but when I was in school, it was barely mentioned), but I learned a lot on this day. There is a wonderful statue outside called The Statue of Brothers that symbolizes the very real heartbreak that many families in Korea experienced during the war where families were split up and fought on opposite sides, much like during the American Civil War. Unfortunately, Korea is still divided, but I heard over two days the repeated theme of reunification of North and South.
On my last full day, I took the hop on-hop off bus, and went around the Palace course. There are several palaces in Seoul; people may not be familiar with the fact that Seoul was a monarchy, with kings/emperors, until the annexation by Japan in 1910. The annexation lasted until the end of World War II, and then sadly, the Korean War began shortly after that. I went up in Namsan Seoul Tower for some hazy views of Seoul. It's not the tallest building in Seoul, and unfortunately for me, I didn't get my ticket in time for Lotte World Tower (which is going to be for my next trip), but it is still a great experience. It was a beautiful day today, and I did a lot of walking and just trying to take everything in that I could.
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