Having completed the marathon Monday started off sore and slow. Generally, with nothing really planned other than wanting to go out and have a walk around, my morning were generally quite slow and I would rarely leave the hotel until after 11.
The daily schedule was basically to leave the hotel, find a place for lunch, have a walk around until dinner time where I'd find something to eat, and then gradually return to the hotel.
On the Monday I aimed for the Gwangjang Market - a large market with lots of shops and not lacking a large number of food stalls, too. Having had a bowl of noodle soup I aimed for Changdeokgung, a castle nearby, but finding the area closed I decided to walk around the walled area. It turned out that in doing so I found myself going through the huge campus of Sungkyunkwan University, the oldest university in South Korea. Apparently they have also preserved a 700 year old building which I didn't see on my way through, though. Leaving on the other side I passed through Bukchon Hanok Village, a small area where the old buildings have been preserved and are in use today, whether for small shops or residential houses. The place is intensely visited by tourists so there are signs everywhere indicating that they are only welcome 1000-1700; clearly in an attempt to let the people living there have some privacy in the evenings.
Gwangjang Market.
Tuesday I left for Gangnam - the district made known to the entire world by Psy's megahit Gangnam Style back in 2012 (which also forced YouTube to change how they showed number of views as it passed the limit of integers). Coex Mall was more than just that; among other things it also had Starfield library with plenty of natural light and shelving from floor to (almost) ceiling. I can understand why it is so photographed but overall it seemed quite impractical as a library as many of the shelves were just for looks and it didn't seem particularly big from what I could see. One would suspect it was built for views, not for actual library-ism. After having a walk around - including lunch - I spent most of the afternoon walking the area. It is pretty clear that Gangnam is a nicer (i.e.: more expensive) part of Seoul; buildings are generally bigger, newer and nicer looking, but I also realized that I during those few hours saw more golf stores than I had during the rest of my stay. I also managed to get a quick look of the Bongeunsa Temple near by with the many small Buddha statues.
Starfield library.
Gangnam Style statue.
Bongeunsa Temple.
Wednesday I had to move hotel to the one where I'll be staying at for the start of my tour in Myeongdong. So I checked out, got the train to Seoul station and another to my destination. While I was mid-day and therefore not during rush hour there were still plenty of people on the second train. I did feel quite a bit in the way with my bag, but luckily they - and I - didn't have to suffer for long. Checking in I was happy to find out that my room was already ready for me, despite showing up more than 2 hours before the official check-in time. Entering the room I was faced with the reality of a... different hotel. Overall it was fine (twin narrow beds instead of a large double is manageable) but I went from a nice view from 24th floor to a 7th floor view into the wall of the neighboring building less than 2 meters away. The horror!
Cheonggyecheon.
From there I had a short walk along the western end of Cheonggyecheon, a small 7-8km long stream going through parts of Seoul before running out in the Han River. It was actually really nice as you were fairly shielded from the city around you (the stream is 5-10m below street level) and it is - everything considered - quite nice and quiet. From here I did a bit of roaming before heading south towards the river when it started getting a bit dark. My goal was to try to get to the other side, follow the river and get some nighttime skyline shots of the city. While I did get across and followed the river, there was not much of a skyline to speak of. There is not one central place where all the tall buildings are centered around, and it seems like buildings are rarely much taller than 25-30 stories, which means you never really get that impressive light show that you'd otherwise get in similar large cities. But I went along, ending up in Yeouido Hangang Park which apparently is a destination for quite a few people to go picnicking in the evening. The area seemed very casual despite being in Yeouido, the main financial district in Seoul.
Thursday I decided to walk the rest of Cheonggyecheon, so start around the same place as yesterday but instead go east and end up at the river. I never made it that far, though, as the longer you got the less calm it was as the isolation from the surrounding traffic was lessened and it opened more up. So at one point I veered off and found a market where I got a bit of snacks before slowly heading in a loose western direction through the streets. Walking around - especially in the market - it's clear that this is definitely not a place where tourists usually show up. Barely any signs in English and the market felt VERY local. I reached a bridge that crossed one of the side streams to Cheonggyecheon so I went down and followed it to the end before once again returning to the streets and past Changdeokgung, aiming for the N Tower.
The tower resides on top of a hill overlooking most of the city, and you can get there either by walking or taking a cable car. Because I have no sense I obviously took the path way that was mostly stairs. A 20 minute hike later, with a few breaks along the way at view points, I made it to the top where I got a ticket and took the elevator to the top. It wasn't perfectly dark yet so I wandered a bit around in the circular building among the crowds. I realized it may not have been the perfect evening as visibility wasn't perfect; it was misty in the distance. I did notice when staying at my first hotel a certain mist in the distance when looking out all days, so I wonder if it would have made a difference what day I came up here. In any case it got dark and I got to see the progress the city change it's looks going from dusk to dark with lights coming on - or at least getting more clear - throughout, on both buildings, vehicles and billboards. Coming down again the start of the walk up was only maybe 100m from my hotel so getting back was easy.
An advantage this hotel has over the first one is the fact there is a huge night market with loads of shops, restaurants and stalls on the other side of the street that really comes to life in the evening. There are plenty of food options throughout and lots to look at. Plenty of people know of this, which means it's borderline chaos at times tying to navigate.
View from the wall.
The meeting was as they usually are; we get to see each other, the tour leader introduces himself and the itinerary for the trip and we are all happy (and I don't remember a single name). For dinner he took us to a restaurant near the night market, and from there he introduced us to Cheonggyecheon and how to get there from the hotel. For most people it was new knowledge; I was just happy to get to see it in the dark when they had light shows going on in the tunnels/under the bridges.
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