I have been to Korea many times and each time I come here, I like it even more. By now, there is nothing really difficult about travel here and it is starting to feel a bit like a second home. I am always happy to arrive and a little sad to leave. Over the years I have gathered up more and more friends with every visit and I always look forward to seeing them. This month long trip was evenly divided between Tokyo and Seoul. My two weeks here felt much too short. There were a few people that I wanted to see that i wasn’t able to connect with this time around. All the more reason to come back soon : )
These are a few images that I like which didn’t really fit anywhere else:
One of my favourite pictures that i took of Seoul. It is a tiny Buddhist Temple (용궁절) on a bridge on Sowol Ro near Sungnyemun (Namdaemun) Gate. The back-turned golden Buddha, the deflated red lantern, the spikey trees and the smiley face on the wall next door, the sunshine on the building and the blue sky above. To me this is perfect.The angles and random level changes of a city haphazardly built. Old crushed together with new. Ultra modern and futuristic alongside little islands of ancient wooden gates, stone walls and palaces. 5 star steel and glass hotels with crumbling 100 year old restaurants in the alleys behind them. Seoul is a city that seems to be hiding a secret, a new discovery, around every corner. It is what I like the most about it.천천히: If it rains, or if it snows…slow down, at least to enjoy it for a moment. Good advice.I have walked by here a hundred times and never noticed the Jongno Flower Market. A happy discovery on a sunny weekend morning.The massive Seoul Station at night looks like a space colony.This is a photo of a Saturday night demonstration against the impeached President Yoon. I like it because Brad Pitt is chilling with his DeLonghi coffee in the middle of it. He looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world while the shouting protestors march by.Sleeping Hwanghak-dong Market late at nightHwanghak-dong fruit cart passing through the market on a busy Saturday afternoonThe cutest temple kitten at Beomeosa in BusanCouple in hanbok doing a photo shoot at Changdeokgung PalaceRed pine tree, one of my favourite trees here. They are very common but, to me, the colour of the wood and the shape of the canopy is beautiful. In Gangneung, these trees line the beaches making it one of my favourite landscapes in Korea: red pine, sand and sea.Itaewon in the evening. I had never been to Itaewon so I went to have a look and take a few pictures. We passed by the Hamilton Hotel where 160 people were crushed to death in the Halloween crowd surge in 2022. It just looked like any little street on a hill, like nothing remarkable had ever happened there. No more memorials remained but I felt sad seeing it. 계란빵: steamed egg breads, great snack to warm you up when it is chilly outside. I think this is Hongdae.Carp in Cheonggyecheon streamWe were on the 19th floor in our building so I was forced to watch this advertisement screen to the point where I actually developed a favourite..this was it. I really don’t like elevators but this stupid ad made me laugh every time.Naksan kitten Up the old city wall near Dongdaemun
Travelling Partner:
I normally take these long trips alone. There are very few people that I can think of that i would want to spend a month with in planes trains and tiny hotel rooms. But, traveling together with my adult daughter has made this trip so much easier and so much more fun. I am good at traveling solo but this time having someone along to share all the adventures made the time away even more precious. We probably won’t get this opportunity again in the future so I am so grateful that we had this time to share together. I have learned a lot from her and I hope I have passed along some knowledge about how to get along on the other side of the world. Sumi took this picture of us in Busan.
Our trip here was long and exhausting with many many flight delays and bad weather. So far we are starting our trip back with only a 2 hour delay. Hopefully it won’t get any worse! Wish us good luck.
한국 안녕! 다음에 또 만나요
If you plan to travel to Korea, check here for ideas.
Thank you so much for making all the posts! Taking us along on your trip has been such a joy to read. Youre an amazing writer and photographer. Cant wait to see what other adventures you’ll post on here.
Thank you so much for making all the posts! Taking us along on your trip has been such a joy to read. Youre an amazing writer and photographer. Cant wait to see what other adventures you’ll post on here.
Thank you for the encouragement! It makes me very happy to hear that you are enjoying the site. Stay tuned for more…