“Travel far, travel often, and travel without regrets.” – Oscar Wilde
The final days spent in South Korea were bittersweet. Caroline finished her teaching contract and was preparing to move back to the States. I had the task of taking a box items to mail home to the post office, where the language barrier was real.
I’m excited to be back in Incheon, where my youngest daughter has lived for the past few years. This is a lovely place, where I feel confident walking the streets, eating, shopping, and taking public transit. I can’t speak Korean, but I can say hello, yes, no, and thank you! The food and cafe culture here is the best!
My two youngest daughters are teachers, and one of them lives in South Korea, so we try to meet in summer when both girls are on break. Last summer we met in Japan. This summer we’re going to Italy! Counting down the hours until our flight!
My last full day in South Korea I experienced the first snow! First snow is significant here, as many superstitions and beliefs are associated with the first snowfall. Cheonnun marks the transition from autumn to winter, bringing joy to all as snow blankets the surroundings. My favorite is that some people believe making a wish during the snowfall ensures its fulfillment. So I did! Here are some photos of the Incheon area in the snow.
Monday morning after I checked out I had coffee and took the subway to a Seoul "must see" location, the Gyeongbokgung Palace. This was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and was built in 1395. Parts of the palace have been destroyed and rebuilt throughout history. The last time I was here Caroline and I rented hanbok (traditional outfits) which give you free admission. Unfortunately, then it was raining and the palace was closed. Today I am wearing jeans, but the palace is open! After walking most of the property, I went to the National Palace Museum.
On Sunday morning we had breakfast at Project 435 Café, which had a lovely, cozy two story interior. We had French toast with fruit and coffee. Then we went to Cat Mocha Café, where the attraction is not food, but cats. (The cats got food, not the people!) After breakfast we shopped and made key chains with our names on them. We sang in a noraebong, took photos in a Photo Booth, and had lunch before Caroline had to catch a train back home.
We started our first full day in Seoul with croissants and coffee from a nearby café, then took the subway to Lotte Tower for lunch and a movie with Caroline’s friends. We dressed for the day in pink or green to celebrate the release of Wicked. It was certainly an event!
Friday after school we met for coffee then boarded the subway and headed for Seoul. We stayed in a Marriott in Gangnam and were very happy with our room, which had a city view from the 18th floor! We had a clear view of Namsan Tower, which I plan to get to this trip! After admiring the view we went to a nearby Korean BBQ Lamb restaurant. We wanted lamb skewers, but they were out. Instead we had marinated lamb and lamb chops. It was my turn to cook at the table, but I was saved because their wait staff cooked for you! Delicious! We ended the night at another café.
My solo exploration today took me on a city bus tour around Incheon. It was a hop-off, hop-on bus that made a loop. Only myself and another lady were on the bus, so we sat in the front upstairs seats of a double-decker! After we crossed the longest cable-suspension bridge in Korea we drove past the airport and I hopped off at Eulwangni Beach. It wasn’t crowded at all since the weather was cool and drizzling. I walked down to the wharf and took pictures, then walked up to a rooftop café for treats. I chose not to hop off at the next two stops because they were for resorts (with shopping, casinos, and entertainment) and I just wanted to sightsee.
Today I walked back down to the waterfront and seafood market. What an adventure! I’m sure I committed a number of faux paus, but I had a good time! I went into a second-floor seafood restaurant, and the waitress stopped me. She put on slippers and took me downstairs so a lady could get my live crab out of a tank. It was huge and for a moment I felt bad about it, but if I didn't have him for a meal someone else would.
Another day, another café! After a breakfast of cappuccino and cinnamon cookie, I headed to the seafood market. The market seemed to go on for miles. I explored and gazed in awe and the amounts and varieties of seafood. It was overwhelming. I really wanted to taste something but had not yet found an ATM to get won, and of course I wasn’t sure how to ask questions. As I stood watching, a mother and daughter were ordering fried shrimp, which they selected and a lady heated it for them in a large wok.
Caroline is back at work and I’m off on another adventure. Today I’m returning to Songdo in search of a really popular café called Forest Outings. Once I got off the subway I had a 25-minute walk through town. I was not prepared for what I found. This café is three levels, all decorated for Christmas. The food and drink choices were overwhelming, but I decided on a salt bread sandwich, lemon scone, and hot green tangerine tea. All great choices!
