My mother just left this big ol' city. What a fun time we had, and wow... how time flies! We had a nice blend of adventure and exploring and also a fair amount of relaxation. It was her first chance to meet her newest grandson and spend time with her kiddos.
We made a point to show her the essential parts of the city, including Standing Coffee, the famous itsy-bitsy coffee shop near Haebongchong/Gyungridan. It was cold, as is typical these days in Seoul, but we bundled and the coffee warmed us up.
I made the terrible mistake of leaving my purse on a table out on the busy city sidewalk as we walked away. I remembered this a solid ten minutes later and made a super-fast pivot and then sprinted back to find my purse and all it's contents safely where I left it, in a crowd in the center of the city. Only in Seoul.... one of the safest cities ever.
Nate graduated from his MBA program while Mom was here and his graduating class had a dinner at the classy and snazzy Novotel in Gangnam. There was music, dancing, good western food, and an all you can drink wine bar.
Mom spent lots of time with little Arthur, who seemed happy to be in her arms of experience. After all she's raised six children, so she's got that "touch".
We hiked by day and by night up Namsan in the center of the city, with it's iconic tower.
While exploring the Namdaemun/Myeongdong area one afternoon we were in search of a good restaurant for lunch. There are so many restaurants all over Seoul that it is truly hard to sift through them all and find the best ones. The hole-in-the-wall local and always-busy spots are my favorite to come across, and that we did. We were shyly walking through the winding alleys and narrow side streets when we came across this spot, with it's jam-packed (and filthy) dining room. It was worth the crowd, for we had the best bibimbap I've had in my year+ living here. Mom loved it, because we sat next to the kitchen, with stone bowls of steaming rice and hot plates of octopus filling the window in the most haphazard way! The ladies working there even had to "use" our table to stack plates for a time being.
We walked and talked and shopped at the markets and took in all the sights that Seoul has to offer. We stopped at a tea shop and often grabbed a treat from some street food vendor.
One morning Mom and I traveled Northwest of Seoul just a bit to the base of Bukhansan (san=mountain) and ended up on a beautiful and calming hike. We took a nearly empty path that was a little unfamiliar to me, which led us to along a frozen river and up to an entirely empty buddhist temple tucked into a stone cave. The buildings, statues, paintings, and bells made this mountain temple something spectacular to see.
We ate many meals, of course. We took turns cooking at the house, to maximize family time, but we also made a point to visit all the restaurants that we love. The dakgalbi spot in our neighborhood, Bulgarian food at Zelen in Iteawon, fish down by the hospital, gogi by Nate and Ira's house, and much much more! We wanted her to really experience the goodness that is Korean food. All the banchan, sitting on the floor, spicy kimchi, cooking our own food, soju.... okay, actually there was no soju (thankfully!).
Gyeongbokgung is a palace in the north of the city, it is huge and famous and for a good reason. Everywhere you look there is a stunning view; be it the contrast between ancient structures and modern skyscrapers, the simplicty of an open field with a few trees, the complexity of the layout of the grounds, or the close-up details of an antique iron hinge. There are many building, bodies of water, and tourists! Us included. I can't help but imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago at this place. Who lived in which building, what is the function of this, or the purpose of that.... What sort of interactions and realities were common? I like to keep my imagination fueled....
Berlin has been a local spot that we frequent. It's got fancy cocktails, imported beer, great music, good food, and a view to boot! So the trip would not be complete without taking Mom there to celebrate her time here. And of course, she got the royal treatment, with free drinks from the owners and a round of shots for us all!
The time went by so fast, as it always does when you're having fun (so they say..). I am glad that Mom could see the place that we've temporarily called home. I just wish that the rest of my family could have been our here too! I miss them all so much....
Love you Mom, thanks for making that loooong flight out here! See you in the fall!
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