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Posts tagged ‘korea’

May 8

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Gyeongbokgung Palace: The Grandest Palace in Seoul

Yesterday I found myself with a day off, perfect weather, and nothing really to do. So, I decided it was an ideal time to check something off my Seoul bucket list by paying a visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the biggest of Seoul’s five grand palaces. Gyeongbokgung, which literally means “Palace of Shining Happiness”, was the main palace during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty and was at the height of its glory during the reign of King Sejong during the fifteenth century. Though the majority of the palace had been destroyed by Japanese invasions over history, much has since been restored. Read more

May 3

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Buddha’s Birthday in Seoul

Celebrating holidays foreign to your native country is one of the most fascinating experiences of being abroad. Every spring Korea celebrates the birthday of Prince Siddartha Gautama, better known as Buddha. Last year, my first in a Buddhist country, I made sure to check out some of the celebrations around Seoul. Because the exact date of the holiday is determined by the lunar calendar, it is different every year. In 2012 Buddha’s Birthday will be celebrated on May 28 in South Korea. The beautiful lotus lanterns are already going up around the country and it’s not too early to start thinking about what to do to celebrate Buddha’s birthday in Seoul. Read more

May 1

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Seodaemun Prison History Museum

I visited Seodaemun Prison History Museum last fall on a dreary day, a fitting backdrop for this somber attraction. The prison, originally called Gyeongsong Gamok, was constructed in the early 1900s during Japanese colonial rule and was used to house political prisoners and those thought to be against the Japanese occupation of Korea. The most serious offenders were tortured and executed at Seodaemun as well. After Japanese colonial rule ended following their defeat in World War II, the Korean government continued to use the facility until 1987 when it was moved out of the city. Five years later, in 1992, the site became a museum dedicated to those who were imprisoned or lost their life in the name of freedom and peace. Read more

Apr 23

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Korea’s First Pop Up Restaurant

This past weekend I had the opportunity to dine at Korea’s first pop up restaurant, Back Kitchen Seoul. Pop up restaurants, for those unfamiliar, are temporary restaurants that allow chefs to experiment with different concepts and ingredients without the financial burden and time consuming effort of opening a permanent eatery. These short term restaurants are popular in major cities, especially in the United States and England. Word is often spread through social media, and when I read on Twitter a month or so ago that the food bloggers behind ZenKimchi and Seoul in the City were joining forces for a one night only creative culinary experience, I knew I had to be there. Read more

Apr 16

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A Weekend in Gyeongju

When I decided to stay in Korea for another year I made a promise to myself to see more of the country. Last week, with sunny skies and spring time temperatures on the horizon, I knew I needed to start making good on that promise. After researching a variety of cities on this peninsula I settled on Gyeongju, capital of the ancient Silla kingdom and city of many cherry blossoms. Read more

Apr 13

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Flashback Friday: Cherry Blossom Festivals

I apologize for the lack of posts in the past week. Lack of internet access in the most connected country in the world, holidays, and hospital visits have had me slacking! I return with a Flashback Friday post dedicated to cherry blossoms in honor of my trek down to Gyeongju this weekend in hopes of finding some more of these famous flowers. Read more

Apr 2

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Hiking in Seoul: Achasan and Bukhansan

I don’t have any official statistics, but if I had to guess I would say that hiking is the Korean national pastime. A large part of this is probably due to the fact that about 70 percent of the Korean peninsula is covered by mountains and even in Seoul, the second largest city in the world, you’re never far away from a good climb. As spring slowly washes over the country, you can expect to see more and more older Koreans decked out in head to toe name brand hiking gear ready to hit a mountain and do some hiking in Seoul. Read more

Oct 11

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Stress Free in Samcheok

September was a month of stress.  I felt the exhaustion beginning the pile up.  Six months of 11 hour workdays had my head spinning.  Completely idiotic new policies at work and the refusal of my request for two days off to go home for my friend’s wedding had me scouring Kayak for a flight home.  For good.  I didn’t care about traveling.  About writing.  I just wanted to see familiar faces in familiar places.  I finally cooled down enough to see that quitting wasn’t the right option (I get a hefty sum of money for completing my contract, to be used for traveling and my next set of plans) and booked a trip to Samcheok, on the eastern coast of Korea in the Gangwon-do province as a pick me up. Read more

Sep 19

The Best Brunch in Seoul

In my opinion, a weekend isn’t truly great until you’ve sat down to recap the events of the last night over great food.  Enter brunch.  Brunch is the meal that allows for the perfect fusion of eating and socializing.  A great breakfast, or brunch, can be hard to find in a city where seafood stew is a traditional breakfast eat, but the Flying Pan in Itaewon manages to create a meal that will satisfy even the most critical of diners looking for brunch in Seoul. Read more

Aug 23

Biking the Han

On Sunday Seoulites were graced with the presence of something we hadn’t seen on a weekend in months.  The sun.  The constant cloudiness and rainfall the past two months had me believing that I was living in my personal version of hell and I was beginning to wonder how much more of this I would be able to handle.  So, when I saw the little yellow ball on my iPhone’s weather app last Monday I immediately began planning the ways in which I could take advantage of this change in weather.  And when I woke up on Sunday to actual sunshine I knew that I was headed to do some bike riding on the Han River. Read more

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