Seoul - South Korea 2023
This last October I got to go on a trip to a place I have wanted to go to for a long time.
On October 25th, 2023 it was finally time to take the airplane with Korean Air and set off for the vibrant city of Seoul. After an eleven-hour flight, the plane arrived safely at Incheon International Airport after which it was about an hour and a half drive to my hotel. But I only got the chance to eat something before I went to bed, exhausted.
The next morning I got up early, despite the ever-present jetlag (we have to make the most of this one week - can't let a bit of jetlag defeat me), because I booked myself an appointment at a hair salon. It was really easy to get there with the metro - anyone who has traveled to Seoul probably still remembers the sound of the Seoul Metro -. After a brief consultation with the salon manager (who spoke English!) I decided to get some nice high and low lights. During the treatment, I temporarily looked like an alien. But the result turned out great and the staff and stylist were super friendly! After three and a half hours at the hair salon, I visited a place that is heaven for any booklover; the Starfield Library in the Coex shopping. It was amazing to see rows and rows of books. I closed this day with some shopping at the Coex mall and a quick bite to eat.
On my second day in Seoul, I had a visit to the Lotte World Tower planned. This is the fifth-highest building in the world. Inside the tower, there is a huge shopping center, food court, hotel, cinema, theme park (okay, this one is next to the Lotte Tower), Aquarium, and a viewpoint with a glass floor at the top.
I went to the Aquarium in the morning. It always gives me such a calm feeling, to watch the fish and sharks swim by. And the penguins were so cute! But the most fun activity was the visit to the sky bridge. I did the tour where one gets to go up a little higher, but the views were truly breathtaking. And the pictures were a great souvenir. How do you think the picture turned out; do I look good in red?
On the next day, I did what any good tourist would do in Seoul and I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace. There are a total of five royal palaces in Seoul and Gyeongbokgung is the large Norh palace. Walking around there really felt like taking a walk through history. And because I came at the right time I got to join a (free!) walking tour with an English-speaking guide. That way I got to hear even more stories about the rich history of South Korea.
That night I also got the opportunity to explore the great food culture of South Korea. What could be better than some great Korean bbq? For me, it always feels a bit awkward to go somewhere to eat by myself, but here it was surprisingly easy. Of course, it helped That I brought a book along.
The next few days were filled with more cultural activities including a visit to Hanok village, the east palace, the west palace, and a trip to Namsan tower where I took on the task of, after taking the cable car up the mountain, walking down. But the walk turned out great, especially with the great weather I had when I was there.
What did I also spend my time on when in Seoul? Of course lots of shopping. For this, I went to Myeongdong (and tried some of the street food), Hongdae, and Insadong. There was a lot more variety than I had though and I came home with more than one new addition for my wardrobe.
On my last day in Seoul I had another beauty treatment planned; getting my nails done (thank you Beauty Day Korea!). A very kind translator came along with me to the appointment and my nails turned out so cute; do you like fall designs like these?
And then, the next morning it was already time to fly home. I was a bit afraid the plane might not fly because there was a storm in the Netherlands, but everything went smoothly. The only thing left right now is the question of when to go again.
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