Out and about in Seoul
Lisa and I got a chance to see some of Seoul today. First, it is so easy to use the subway here; we had no problems and it is very inexpensive. We started the day with a bagel and some coffee at Pause Cafe which is across the street from the Casaville (the hotel we are staying at). From there we headed down to the subway. It is a whole different world down there… shops, people and anything you can imagine, but it is clean and safe. Once we figured out how to get a T card, just go to information and buy one and put some money on it, we were good to go.
Our first stop was Itaewon which was one transfer and 8 stops away. Itaewon is a tourist area so there were many people and it was the first time that we saw more westerns then where we are staying. We were on the hunt for a shop called All Seasons. We meet a very nice family from New South Wales that told use about this shop. It has a small book section that has children’s books that are written in both Korean and English and we wanted to get these for both Allyson and Benjamin. We thought that this would be a great way to introduce Allyson to Benjamin’s heritage and also a good way for Benjamin to stay connected with Korea. After we got the books, we were on a mission to get Allyson a hanbok, and we found a nice shop a few doors down. We looked at many different hanboks and found a very nice one for Allyson. Benjamin’s foster parents gave us a very nice one for him, so we thought it would be a good gift from Benjamin to Allyson.
After that purchase it was back to the subway and we headed for Insadon. Again it was so easy on the subway - one transfer and few stops later we were in Insadon. We headed up and out of the subway and there was a sign for Insadon, which pointed us down a narrow winding road that took us past several restaurants and then into the main market area. We picked a good day to visit since it was the city of Seoul’s Art Fair in Insadon. The place was packed with people; Lisa and I had to wade our way through the crowd, but we got to see many different shops. Insadon has many hand-made paper / calligraphy shops, artist shops and any other odds and ends. We got a very nice Jeon-Gak silk scroll which has the phrase ‘enjoy music & writing’. Benjamin’s birth mother was into fine arts and writing so we thought that this would be a great peace of art to hang in the house and something we can share with Benjamin. After that we were hungry and headed to a Korean restaurant. Lisa had a stone bowl bibimbap and I had bulgogi and mushrooms - both were very good. Lisa and I have enjoyed the Korean food and we have stayed away from the western restaurants. After we ate we headed back to the hotel since we were tired. We still have Sunday to see more of Seoul and try to relax before Monday which is sure to be a very emotional and long day. Here are a few photos from today, just click them to see a larger version.
