Seoul Art

Morgan and I spent the weekend in Seoul with our Aussie friends Sue and Ally. It was a great girls weekend in an exciting city. We rode the bus up Friday night and spent the weekend strolling and shopping throughout the City.

I love Seoul!! With a population of 10.3 million it is the 5th largest city in the world. It's interesting, artsy and culturally rich with lots to see, eat and experience. I liked traveling with Sue because she and Ally are not only tons of fun they are also savvy, cosmopolitan travelers. She eats Korean food and I tried things I wouldn't have on my own. Korean culture and food is so different than my own it is difficult for me to embrace. I spend my time looking for American food and products so I can stay in my comfort zone. I tried octopus and survived. I was actually enjoying it until Sue said "isn't Octopus good" !! Ignorance is bliss and I asked her to wait a few hours before she tells me what I'm eating. However, like Morgan, if you have to eat American -- Seoul is a good place to be. There was a Starbucks and Outback on almost every corner. I also saw TGIFriday's, McDonald's, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins. We went to a pub filled with Americans and Aussies where Sue introduced me to Cooper's. Her Austrailian beer of choice!

I hope you enjoy the photo journal of Seoul! It's just a small glimpse of the city. I can't wait to go back and learn more. There are so many museums, art galleries, and cultural sites waiting for me! We strolled through four major areas:

Insa-dong: My favorite place so far is known as "Korea in Seoul" and a good place to experience traditional Korean culture. It's a charming area filled with antique shops and small galleries. I especially liked Ssamziegil Market and we found a beautiful little tea house that I definitely want to visit again.

Itaewon: Is known as "little America" or "Street of foreigners". Here you will find restaurants offering food and goods from all over the world.

Myeong-dong: This was probably Morgan's favorite area. It is a shopping mecca for the young and trendy. We found Adidas, Levi's, Dickeys, The Body Shop, Lush, Nike, etc... This area was crowded with a sea of people.

Namdaemun Market: This is the oldest and biggest shopping area in Seoul. A bustling, crowded traditional Korean Marketplace.

This trip was very interesting and I learned alot about myself. We are not city girls and it showed. Sue and Ally were pros at navigating the city subway, markets, everything. I don't think we would have seen as much without their experience. Living in a foreign country is hard. Traveling with people from a different country really showed me how little we open ourselves up to new experiences. It made me realize that even though we sometimes feel overwhelmed, scared and uncomfortable we are coping and learning and growing.