Welcome back my lovely Adventurers! I had debated what stories and we would share this week and I decided that I should talk about one of my travel adventures. I am blessed in that I have had travel opportunities in the last couple of years that I never would have dreamed of and they have come with their own mini adventures sprinkled within them! I spent a week in Seoul with a good friend, and it was amazing to walk around this city and see so much history and culture. We walked through palaces and shrines where, for the first time ever, I had to duck my head to get through a doorway! We even got into The Blue House, their version of the White House. I loved the way modern architecture melded against and respected the history in Seoul. I took a picture of a building left over from an ancient wall, and all behind it are skyscrapers. These scenes don’t exist in the United States.
One of the best parts of my trip was a trip up to North Seoul Tower, which is impressive and has the city’s geographical center marked (I missed it, so clearly, I need to go back!) For some history, N Seoul Tower is at the highest point in the city, and the views from the top are amazing. It’s also Korea’s first radio wave tower, built in 1969.
You have a couple of options when you go to the tower, walk, or ride the cable car. I had never been in a cable car, so we decided to take it up. My fellow Adventurers, it was tight. Like, now I know what a sardine feels like: tight. And two lovely gentlemen were talking about all the videos on the internet of cable cars getting stuck and people having to be rescued. I was lucky because my traveling companion is pretty hard to fluster, and he saw how anxious I was, so he helped distract me. But I must tell you, if you’ve never been on one when you hit one of the poles on the track, those things swing; I’m not a fan! I was thrilled to put my feet on solid ground.
N Seoul Tower is full of little places to eat and shop, and even from the base, the view of the city is beautiful, but the view from the top is breathtaking. At night, you see the whole city lit up, and it’s gorgeous. I could have stayed and stared at the city’s lights for hours. There’s a very fancy restaurant at the top that I have no review for because it was late, and, honestly, we got Korean fried chicken from a vendor stall and were more than happy!
After my lovely experience in the cable car, we decided to walk down the hill when we wrapped up our visit, but we were worried. As we learned on our first day, here is a story for another post if you’re interested (let me know in the comments!): Seoul is an exceptionally high city with many switchback roads. However, it turns out that the park you can wander through when you leave the Tower has a lovely winding path full of cyclists and runners that night and was very peaceful. Even better? It let out right across the street from our hotel.
My trip to Seoul was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had, and I think I have a few more stories to share. But I’d love to know what you want to hear about first: our day wandering through various sites. Our trip to the street market and the yummies we found there, or a few smaller adventures focusing on the hills? Oh, and I promise we’ll revisit this recipe with details and pictures!
~Sarah
Let’s head back home!