19 December 2022
While boarding our flight to Manila from Heathrow, I was asked by the airline agent at the gate to show details of my return flight back from Manila; this was a Philippines immigration requirement he assured me. I hadn't actually booked a return flight yet as I was unsure how long I would be staying in the Philippines. So, in order to board the aircraft, we needed to quickly book a flight out of Manila and show him the booking. The cheapest we could find was return trip to Seoul, leaving on Dec 14th and returning to Manila on Dec 19th.
Thus, 10 days before Christmas, we found ourselves in Korea's capital city, in the middle of a cold snap (-5C) which would get even colder (-15C); quite a change from the 30C we had just left behind us. Luckily, we had brought some winter clothing which we quickly supplemented with hats, gloves and scarves. The upside of this was that it started to snow as we did some early Christmas shopping in Myeongdong, the area around our hotel (the Solaria which we loved but had to unfortunately leave after 2 nights because it was fully booked).
We had arrived there on the express train from the airport, an early exposure to the fast and cheap subway system, which was confusing at first because we did not realize that with each ticket you purchase - only in cash - a deposit is required and then refunded using special machines, once your trip is completed. We used the subway several times daily to get around this sprawling metropolis of 10 million people, most of whom it seemed were milling around underground with us. Here you can find stores and kiosks selling everything, from socks to sake.
That evening, street food vendors had mysteriously appeared everywhere around the maze of streets that is Myeongdong and naturally we indulged ourselves – gyeran-ppang (Korean egg bread), mandu (dumplings), ddakkchi (chicken skewers), tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes), dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), twigim (deep fried squid) and gamja-hotdogs (French fries corn dog), to name but a few. We were amazed at the variety, the prices but above all, the tastes. Street food appeared to be a really serious business here.
The next day, we headed off to the National Museum to find out more about the history and culture of Korea. The building itself was worth the trip, a vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum with free entrance! An English-speaking tour guide took us on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean Empire period (1897–1910). The highlights for us were the Joseon Dynasty gallery (1392–1897) and the marble Ten Storey Pagoda which comes from the Gyeongcheonsa Temple in the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace. There was also a special exhibition on Mesopotamia, one of my favorite civilizations. The gardens around the museum also looked attractive but we did not hang around because of the cold.
It would be warmer in a mall, we thought, and so we headed off to the CoEx Mall in Gangnam, which houses (amongst its hundreds of stores, cafes, etc.) the Starfield Library, with its 13-meter-high bookshelves and over 50’000 books that can be borrowed and browsed through while sitting in a comfortable chair under the soft ceiling lighting.
The next day, we set off to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, the most magnificent of the royal palaces in Seoul. We arrived at the main entrance, gate, Gwanghwamun, in the middle of the changing of the guard ceremonies. We then spent a very interesting couple of hours exploring the compound (again, with a free English-speaking guide), which includes a couple of museums, ornamental gardens and reputedly, some of Seoul's grandest architectural sights.
Gyeongbokgung was once the home of the powerful Joseon Dynasty which ruled Korea for around 500 years from the 14th century. In 1592, it was burnt down during the Japanese invasions. It lay in ruins for nearly 300 years until it was rebuilt in 1865. Altogether, in its heyday, the palace consisted of 330 buildings and had up to 3000 staff, including 140 eunuchs, all serving the royal family. During Japanese colonial rule, most of the palace was again destroyed – much of what we can see today is accurate recent reconstructions.
For our last full day in Seoul, we visited the Bukchon Traditional Village, a small area of winding alleys and traditional Korean houses (or hanok), with their iconic curved roofs and wooden features. Originally inhabited by the nobility, the remaining homes have been preserved as a cultural and tourist attraction. We were given a short lesson by a local guide on how the buildings were constructed, including an ingenious system for heating the floors (where people mostly sat and slept). It’s a busy tourist area, but it’s still a pleasure to get lost in the streets here, admiring the patterned walls and tiled roofs contrasting with the modern city in the distance.
A short subway ride away is the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park, a neofuturistic cultural complex dubbed the 'largest three-dimensional atypical structure in the world'. Made of aluminium, glass and concrete, it contains galleries, event spaces, design shops and lawns that rise up to its roof. Nearby, was the buzzing Dongdaemun Night Market, but our stay there was a short one in the freezing cold December night.
It was already time to leave this fascinating and dynamic city which seemed never to sleep. A city of contrasts, with futuristic and cutting-edge designs and technology but also, traditional, with historic palaces and other landmarks from the past, evidently revered by its people. We found the Koreans to be very polite, if a little distant, at least with tourists. With family or friends, they were obviously enjoying their time out shopping in stylish boutiques or malls and drinking at cool cafes and convivial bars.
Of course, we had not had enough time to visit all of Seoul’s many attractions, even less to go beyond its city limits to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), splitting South from North Korea, Incheon, Suwon or Busan……. that would be for another time.
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