We got really really lucky in that the review took place in a park that is only about a five-minute walk from the apartment, so I went with him and found a quiet place to sit. This was where I stopped:
Dat roof. Oh my goodness. I don't know what these little sitting structures are called but I see them everywhere and I think they are pretty much the coolest thing ever. As far as sitting structures go, anyway.
Before I settled down there, though, I circled the park a few times (it's very small and that took less than half an hour) and found some cool things, like these burial mounds:
In retrospect I really should have taken a picture of the informational plaque thing that was standing nearby, but, alas, I did not. So basically this is the burial site of some super duper important guy and his wife from the Joseon Dynasty. So, only a few hundred years old, it's no big deal.
Also all of the lamp posts were really flowery and cute:
The park, albeit small, is very well shaded (something not to be underestimated in Fry Me Alive Seoul) and quiet and overall quite pleasant. However, unfortunately for me, somehow it turned out that every single gnat in the area and his best friend got around to deciding that my left ear was the place to be. Not my right ear. Not my eyes. Not my nose (although I did accidentally inhale one) (hopefully for the first and last time, ever). None of the people I passed were swatting maniacally at their own heads. Why me? What did I do? What is it about my left ear that is so desirable? How can I have this affect on men instead of insects? These were some of the questions running through my mind that afternoon.
Also at this point I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank my friend Holly, who gave me a box of blister bandaids before I left in case my shoes got finicky, which on this day they did. Thanks Holly!! I really appreciate your excellent foresight!
I kept getting too easily distracted by the bugs and the pretty things and the gigantic planes flying overhead to accomplish much studying, but the military guys were hard at work:
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| Good job everyone!! |
I feel bad for them because they're required to do the service because of the threat from North Korea, but young people these days don't feel that threat as strongly as the older generations, so the training is much more of a frustration than a safety precaution for them. In America we're really proud of our military and all of the people in it, but in Korea it's a nuisance and feels like a waste of time and money and energy to almost everyone, even those who don't have to serve. Each year it also gets less and less rigorous, so a lot of people are just angry and wonder what the point is.
Anyway, after training had finished up in the evening and we'd eaten dinner, we hopped on the subway to visit the Han River! Less awesome than Cheonggyecheon, but still pretty awesome nonetheless. We walked through a cool tunnel to get there from the subway station:
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| Kinda hard to tell but it's a flower turning into a butterfly. |
And then we walked out of the cool tunnel and saw this!!
It was so big. I felt so, so small. There were highways surrounding the area we were in and they were all so tall and so huge. I honestly felt like I was standing in the middle of a Final Fantasy game or some sort of futuristic sci-fi movie. It was so different from Cincinnati or Columbus.
There were a lot of people down by the river with blankets and chicken and beer, and they all sounded like they were having a great time. Some of them were even setting off fireworks! I was really surprised because I'm pretty sure this is illegal in Ohio, at least, but JB said it's quite common here.
It was late and we were both kind of tired (especially him, haha) (six hours of military training, sucksssss!) so we didn't stay long. Part of me wants to go back during the day so I can ride in one of the paddle boats they have there, but another part of me is terrified of what the humidity will be like if I try to do that.
Thus concluded my third day.
The next day we decided to visit the National War Museum of Korea, which I was really happy about. I feel like I'm efficiently crossing off all the things on my bucket list. Before we went into the museum we stopped for lunch, and this is where I made the mistake of saying that I was open for anything when JB asked what I wanted. (In my defense, I really believed that statement at the time.) So we ate at this place where they sell food that originated from the Korean War (I think), when Koreans would have to put a meal together from the scraps left over by the American troops. Basically, you boil together some meat and vegetables and ramen noodles.
And, basically, my mouth was on fire. JB didn't drink even a single drop of water throughout the entire meal, but I drank more than half the pitcher! Also my eyes were watering because it was so spicy. It was good, but I think some of my taste buds were temporarily paralyzed from shock because I have never asked them to endure anything like that before.
After emotionally recovering from lunch we entered the museum grounds! There were a lot of really cool things to see outside before we even made it through the door. They had dozens of airplanes and tanks and even a ship all hanging out, and you could walk up to all of them and walk inside quite a few of them. Unfortunately the military parade we'd been hoping to see was cancelled due to a "government event" (whatever that means) but we still had a good time. JB said more than once that it was a lot better than he was expecting.
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| This plane was so big! |
We saw a lot of exhibits inside, but my favorite thing was probably this drum, which was built recently to commemorate something.
I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but you could fit a Smart Car inside that thing. It was huuuuuuge!
After the museum we went to meet a very good childhood friend of JB's, whom he's known for nineteen or twenty years, which is weird for me to think about because that's how old I am. JB had to go help his dad at work then, so the friend, whose English name is BB, walked around with me for a few hours. (He chose that name because he wanted something unusual and easy.) We went back to Gyeongbokgung, since it had been closed Tuesday and I hadn't been able to see it then. BB said it was actually his first time visiting, too, which just cracks me up because if I'd grown up in Seoul, I bet my mom would have taken me there about a million times. (Don't deny it, mom.)
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| The king's throne/throne room |
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| I want to stare at this roof ALL DAY. |
Can you believe a place so beautiful and serene is just sitting in the middle of Seoul? The ground were enormous, too. I honestly have no idea how many times I exclaimed "It's so pretty!" and "It's so big!" I know it's a really touristy place to go, but I highly recommend it. It's breathtaking.
We also strolled through the folk museum that is on the palace grounds (which was also on my to-do list!) and that was pretty interesting. Admission is included in the price of your ticket when you pay to enter Gyeongbokgung, so it's "free."
The museum closes at 6:30pm, so after that we headed to nearby Insa-dong to find food. This time when asked what I wanted, I was very clear about not wanting anything too spicy.
So we went to a grill!
It was really cool. And there was a lot of pork. We ate very well, and none of it made my eyes tear up, so I was very grateful.
(Actually it kind of tickles me because now whenever we eat something that is even a teeny tiny bit spicy, JB asks me if it's okay, haha.)
After that we headed home. BB lives along the same subway line as JB does, so he rode with me for a while, but after he got off I was on my own! It wasn't really a big deal though, and JB had made 300% sure that afternoon that I knew where to get off and how to get home. The apartment complex is really close to the subway station so it's easy peasy which, combined with my unparalleled mental capabilities, ensured a safe journey home.
Thus concluded my fourth day.
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