Howdy all. I am working my way through my time in Japan, Korea and I may not have mentioned it – my very brief time in Taiwan. Last time I wrote about my first day in Seoul and then visiting the DMZ taking us up to Day 18, so today…. Let’s Day 19!!

Day 19

Day 19 was  another big day of exploring the city of Seoul. I was lucky enough that the weather again was pretty much perfect – low 20s and sunny. I was staying close to the Namdaemun Market, so I thought it made sense to go for a stroll first thing on this fine day!

The market is not so much a covered or street market, but bustling area which sold everything from clothes to souvenirs to food. I found myself wandering through ‘Noodle Street’ at one point which was a covered section of the market and packed with people slamming down some of Seoul’s finest noodles.

Another curious feature was roots in jars filled with liquid, which looked a little like lava lamps. These looked very cool. I’m not sure if they are purely decorative or if they actually use the roots to eat or plant? A lot of clothes and a lot of handbags, it was pretty cool.

I headed then to Namsan Mountain, which is kind of in the middle of Seoul. It’s in a huge park which pretty much feels like you are outside the city in the forest. At the top of Namsan Mountain is the North Seoul Tower, and it is quite the climb. I was really really over climbing mountains, hills and to be frank, slight slopes by this point so I took the more interesting way. The quicker way. The better way. Firstly there is a sort of lift which is a bit like a Lisbon tram that goes up a steep hill. This is actually free but if you have the energy you can climb to the top of it before you get into it and it takes you oh so slowly up the hill to….

The Cable Car! I bought a quick ticket, up some stairs (I mean, really?) and somehow this time got the first one. Well, there’s only two. The view is pretty impressive from the cable car however it was super packed and so moving about to try and capture the views was super hard.

At the top there are more excellent views of Seoul. I decided against going up the tower, I was towered out and I had a big day I’d only just started. Plus I did have a bit of time in front of me lost in all likeliness. There was a huge collection of love locks on one fence that surrounded the look out for the south of Seoul and the river. Frankly I’m not a fan but they had a lot of different colours and made for a decent photo.

Then it was across Seoul. A bus, then a walk through a pretty posh residential area where there were some embassies as well, then down the hill and onto another bus to get to the Korea War Memorial.

It was pretty impressive and as it happened there was some sort of celebration happening this day that I was there. There was marching and soldiers on parade spinning guns in a pretty impressive display. There are a few monuments and the main building which has a memorial to all who died in the Korean War on the side of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) from various countries. There was also a bit of a museum inside and outside the building which included tanks, planes and more preserved to see for all, some to climb inside as well. The museum also touched on the history of war on the Korean Peninsula.

THEN a short subway ride to the National Museum. An impressive building but most of the exhibits were clay pots and rocks which really doesn’t do much for me. Some nice historic paintings though, and it’s free entry.

After that it was a long trek on the subway to the World Cup Stadium station. I walked around the stadium to get to the Oil Tank Culture Park. Inside the park are six giant oil tanks, one I thought I might be stuck in at one point. They are used for cultural performances mainly and one had a café. It’s an original and creative idea to convert old oil tanks into artistic spaces and great that you can explore them, even if there wasn’t anything particularly going on on that day.

A couple of bus rides then took me to the north of the city for my final stop of the day. The Cheonggyecheon River Walk is this lovely and popular walk to do along the river in one part of Seoul and at dusk it really comes alive. So many people walking with lanterns above along the river. Families, tourists, locals. It was a great way to end a long day of exploration!!

Thanks for popping by! Next time – it’s Seoul’s own THEME PARK – Lotte World! Take care wherever you are in the world – May the Journey Never End!