We were in Seoul for a week and a half. Gyeongbok Palace: This was a palace complex used by the rulers of Korea from 1395 through the 1600s. It was later all but destroyed by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea, but restoration has been making progress since 1995. It’s made up of many…
Neighborhood: Insadong Also called: N/A Pros: This area is very central to a number of fun things to do, from palaces and temples to markets and museums. There are eons of food options. It is possible to stay in an area of the neighborhood that is less touristy, so you pay less for housing and food, but…
Many of the stores are segmented into districts: for example, there are a ton of lighting/lamp stores in one area, electrical/mechanical stores are all lined up in a stretch, the diamond district has all of the jewelry in town, and there is a wedding area with everything from bridal clothes and tiaras to rings and groom’s shoes.…
I entered college knowing that I was going to be a French major. I had no intention of teaching it or being a translator, but I loved the language and the culture. My parents were horrified to see me waste so much money to learn something that I could get – as Matt Damon puts it in Good…
It’s our first time in Asia, so we did a bit more research. Here are our tips for having a good first trip to South Korea: DO: Learn the words for ‘hello’ (ahn-yeong ha-seh-oh), ‘thank you’ (kha-m-sah hah-mn-ee-da), and ‘goodbye’ (ahn-yeong-ee geh-seh-oh). That last one in particular will cause shopkeepers everywhere to be very impressed with…
As anyone who has seen N’s recent Facebook pictures knows, my beard has been getting a bit long. I’ve been meaning to shave it for a long time, but December 1 (the end of “Movember”) seemed like a good time to do it. In the process of shaving, I tried a few different styles. Which…
A few days ago marked six months of international travel for me and B! Travelers often write about all of the things they’ve learned about the world in that time. We might eventually do that – though the best such post has already been written. Instead, I’m writing about all the things we’ve learned about ourselves. Directions: If we’re…
There are quite a few Americans in Seoul – though nowhere near the number of them in the European cities we’ve visited. Two nights ago, we had dinner with a few dozen of them, at a craft brewery in the outskirts of Seoul. The brewery did a Thanksgiving buffet dinner, featuring 1 glass of mulled…
Today, B and I were comparing South Korea and Italy, two countries rarely placed in the same sentence. And the comparison isn’t fair, since we spent three months in many cities in Italy, and we have only seen Seoul, and over the course of a week. However, here is what we came up with. Caveat: very…
We were in Rome for a week and a half. Church of Jesus [Church]: This church’s most amazing element was its frescoed ceiling. The way that it was executed, it really looks like figures are climbing into and out of it. This is hands down the coolest ceiling fresco I’ve ever seen, and I think it’s…