Our First Exciting Taste of Korea

My daughter and I took a research trip to Korea last October and it was amazing! We were accompanied by two of her friends who also love all things Korean. Our trip started with a 16-hour plane ride to Seoul and nearly hour-long taxi ride to our Airbnb in Itaewon, one of Seoul’s neighborhoods. Despite it being quite late when we got settled, we were raring to go in the morning.

My daughter had set up a nice itinerary for our first day and it was packed with visits to an eclectic mix of sites throughout Seoul. We started with a walk from our apartment through the streets of Itaewon to the subway station where we purchased a T-money card to pay for our rides. So efficient and the subway ride was a dream. Clean, on time, and very easy to navigate. Even though my daughter taught herself Korean, all the station names were also in English.

Our first stop was the Namsangol Hanok Village which has a number of lovely Joseon period buildings, a tranquil traditional garden, and Time Capsule Square which, as you might guess, holds 600 items showcasing Seoul’s lifestyle and culture to celebrate Seoul’s 600th anniversary.

Afterward we walked to a nearby shopping area to check out where we would have an extra-special nail design and encountered a store for all things K-pop. My daughter and her friend couldn’t resist and it turned out we were there just after a big celebration for one of the K-pop stars birthdays! We had to join in by leaving a birthday message.

Then we were off to Gyeonghuigung Palace which was right near the Seoul Museum of History. Much of this palace was destroyed by a combination of fires and the Japanese during their occupation of Korea. But a portion of it was restored and when we visited, more restoration work was being done.

We went from the palace to the Seoul Museum of History which had a number of interesting exhibits about Seoul’s history. The one thing that captured all of our attentions was a huge miniature reconstruction of the entire city of Seoul. It was located under glass and was visible from a glass walkway above it. AMAZING! It was interesting to see the city in its current state but also learn about its growth and the history of the Japanese occupation. For a country that has suffered from that kind of occupation and the threat of communism, it’s amazing what’s been accomplished in Korea!

You might wonder if we were done by now. Nope. After going back to Itaewon to regroup and get a delicious fried chicken and kimbab takeout dinner, we headed to Banpodaegyo Bridge to see the amazing light display.

You may be wondering what I was researching. Well, a new romantic suspense set in Korea which features CIA Agents and stolen technologies! Still working on that one but in the meantime, you can grab copies of the books in the South Beach Security series to whet your appetite.