A walk up the old city wall near Dongdaemun to feed cats was not a great success. It was a hot afternoon and they were probably asleep in the shade somewhere. Instead, we stopped at the little 3 story “Cafe Reading Cat” overlooking the west end of Seoul and sipped coffee in the sunshine. Cats are everywhere outdoors in Seoul. People who live here seem to take care of the homeless ones, bringing them food or setting up little shelters for them. If you want to see a post where we found lots of cats up here, check this one.
Cat sculptures along the outside wallsPicturesque entrywayElectrical conduit, gas pipes, water pipes, sewers, valves and gauges: these are the nervous, circulatory and digestive systems of a city. I like seeing how different places have these arranged. I am a utility-tourist
Dinner with Minu
On the way to meet Minu for dinner I noticed this old man had set up a flower shop in an alleyway in Jongno. There are many businesses like this that appear after dark and disappear by the next morning.Lively alleyways behind the main street, full of restaurants and young people just off work. When I first travelled to Asia, I remember being dazzled by all the bright signs and lights everywhere. I am so used to them now that I don’t notice them as much but I really do miss them when I get back home. It’s like when your parents take the Christmas lights down and your house returns to colourless normal.무쇠옥, a modern pork BBQ joint. It was very good. Look here for details.This BBQ was not only different thick cuts of pork but also kimchi, bracken fern, minari and bean sprouts, all caramelized on the hotplate and wrapped in lettuce and perilla leafs. There was also ramp jjangachi and rich doenjang jjigae.This was one of the best BBQs I have eaten. We ate everything then had a second round of samgyeopsal. Thanks Minu!
