48 HOURS IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

After nearly five months in South Korea, I finally made it Seoul! Before moving to South Korea, Seoul was about the only city I was familiar with in the country. It’s the city every expat wants to live in, and the city every ESL teacher wants to teach in. After exploring Seoul for myself, I can absolutely see why.

Gena and I left Friday evening after work, and took the KTX from Dongdaegu Station, up to the capital. The entire journey took just over 2 hours and cost ₩43,500 {approximately $38.00 USD} one way. There are definitely cheaper {but slower} options to get to Seoul from Daegu, however it was my first trip, so I didn’t want to waste any time.

We arrived around 10:00 PM, immediately dropped our bags off at the Lazy Fox Hostel, and set out to explore our surroundings. We were staying in Hongdae {홍대}: a trendy, forward-thinking neighborhood in Seoul. It was a Friday night, and as we inched closer and closer towards Hongik University Station, I started to anticipate the night ahead.The streets were flooded with people, the lights shone brighter than I’d ever seen, and there was an energy spread throughout the entire neighborhood that made me feel some type of way.

It was nearly midnight by the time we stopped to grab a glass of wine at an open-air bar. But you could have fooled me. It felt maybe 9:00 PM at that point, and I could have stayed up for hours had it not been for our epic plans the following day. Being in an environment, such as the one in Hongdae, had me feeling similarly to the first time I set foot in New York City. We took our last sip of wine and made our way back to the hostel.

The next morning, we woke up relatively early in hunt of some Western-style breakfast. Although  breakfast isn’t really a thing in Korea, I figured Seoul {of all places} would deliver the goods. It did indeed, and soon we found ourselves ordering eggs, hashbrowns, and sausages at Travel Maker . Travel Maker is an American-style diner found in the middle of Hongdae. It opens much earlier {7:00 AM} than most brunch/breakfast locations in Seoul, so it was an easy choice for us when we hit the road around 8:00 AM.

After breakfast, Gena and I made our way to Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁). Probably the number one visited ‘attraction’ Seoul, Gyeongbokgung Palace was already pretty crowded at 10:00 AM when we arrived.

It was fascinating to see the contrast between the traditional palace and the modern architecture as it’s background. It was a true mark of when old meets new. Even with the hundreds of tourists and locals in attendance, the entire grounds felt calm, quiet, and peaceful.

Unbeknownst to me, we arrived during the changing of the guards. Immediately we rushed towards Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung, to witness the event. Luckily, I was able to find an opening amongst a sea of humans with their phones in the air. During the Joseon Dynasty, these royal guards had the most important role in the palace: to protect the king. Today, the actors perform the event exactly how it would have taken place back then.

Tip: you are more than welcome to enjoy the changing of the guards without actually entering the palace. The main gate is accessible to the public and does not require a ticket.

After the changing of the guards, we purchased tickets for ₩3,000 each {$2.65}, and entered the palace. The palace itself is pretty remarkable. Most of the palace was burned down when the Japanese invaded in 1592, but has since been restored. There are over 300 buildings within the palace walls, and you’ll find none of them lacking when it comes to the intricate, impressive details of traditional Korean structures.

Gena acted as our tour guide, reading passages about the different buildings we came across, online. After having a good wander around the grounds, we made our way to another popular location in Seoul: Bukchon Hanok Village.

Tip: Bukchon Hanok Village is located only a 15 minute walk from Gyeongbokgung Palace, so you can easily visit both locations in the same day.

Once again, the traditional village is surrounded by modern skyscrapers, making for an outstanding contrast. My first impression of the village was incredible. I loved the narrow, winding streets, covered in hanging plants along amazing, traditional exterior designs. After walking deeper and deeper into the village though, I began to feel discouraged.

The village has become such a popular tourist destination, that the locals actually residing in the hanoks {한옥} are constantly disturbed. There is signage literally covering the walls of the village with desperate pleas asking tourists to be respectful and quiet as they visit Bukchon. Children dressed in traditional Korean clothing hold signs reading ‘QUIET’ and ‘PEOPLE LIVE HERE – BE RESPECTFUL’.  It’s such a shame, but I would probably feel the same if I had 10,000 visitors a day prancing around my property.

I felt guilty for walking through a community so upset by it’s guests. The most disturbing of the signs read, ‘your laughter makes me want to die’.  So, there’s that. The residents clearly feel violated by the tourists that visit on a regular basis. My one piece of advice is simply, be respectful. Gena and I barely uttered a word to one another as we walked. We also left pretty shortly after arriving, eventually making our way to one of the trendiest {tourist-free} neighborhoods in Seoul.

I have an entire post dedicated to Ikseon-dong {coming up next}, so for now I will quickly sum up my overall impression of it. Gena’s Koran co-teacher recommended a trip to Ikseon-dong, claiming it to be the up-and-coming neighborhood in Seoul. It was indeed and, so far, holds the top spot as my favorite neighborhood in Seoul. The cafe culture made me want to explore more of what Daegu has to offer. The boutique jewelry store had me making excuses for why I would need three different pairs of gold hoops. And there is always something to be said for getting lost in thought {or actually lost, for that matter} within the walls of a charming neighborhood.

After a quick coffee break, we decided it was time to head back to the hostel in preparation for the night ahead. I enjoyed a honey sheet mask before showering, putting my face on for the evening, and walking out the door.

By now, I’m honestly over Korean food. I eat it every single day at school, and regularly go out for Korean with friends in Daegu. Hence, we chose Vietnamese for dinner that night. There is a chain in Korea called Emoi, and it offers delicious Vietnamesse food for a reasonable price. We ordered pho, spring rolls, and grilled vegetables {clearly we were hungry} and I never wanted the meal to end. Immediately upon leaving the restaurant, we Google’d the closest Emoi in Daegu… #nailedit.

From dinner, we walked to Cheonggyecheon Stream {청계천}. We were in good company with lots of locals sitting by the water that evening. Had we prepared, I would suggest bringing a bottle of wine and some snacks to graze on. The sound of the rushing stream was still clear over the live band playing soft jazz. Kids were splashing strangers with absolutely no regard for their presence. Overall, it was a great place to relax and catch the sunset.

That night, the England vs. Sweden World Cup game was set to commence. Gena, being from the homeland, was determined to catch the game somewhere. Since the match didn’t begin until 11:00 PM {Korean time}, we thought it would be a good opportunity to explore the well-known Itaewon. Itaewon is known for its popularity within the expat community in Seoul. Honestly, it had been quite a while since I’d seen that many non-Asians in one place.

After walking through the vibrant streets, we settled on The Wolfhound pub to watch the game. I mean – what could be better than watching a soccer {football, whatever} match at an Irish pub? We arrived early and found a table {miraculously}, but the place was already packed with foreigners. Needless to say, the rest of the night was fabulous. We ordered wine {another thing Seoul wins at}, apple pie, and settled in while England dominated Sweden.There were plenty of Brits to share in the celebration with, and eventually we made our way back to the hostel via taxi.

The next morning we checked out of the hostel and walked to ‘The Famous Lamb‘ for breakfast. I had mixed feelings about the buffet style breakfast I’d previously read so many positive reviews about. If you have to wait for a table {which we did – but only for about 10 minutes}, the staff will seat you in an adorable, brightly lit room and bring you free coffee. After that, you pay for an all you can eat breakfast buffet which includes scrambled eggs, various fruits, {essentially} deli meat, and a plethora of pastries.

While there wasn’t a huge selection of food, I still thought it was decent for the price of ₩9,000. But, and this is a big ol’ BUT, they require you to order a drink as well when you purchase the breakfast buffet. The cheapest drink on the menu is around ₩6,000 which means you’ll spend around ₩15,000 for your entire meal. Sure, the price isn’t astronomical, but I’ve seen better continental breakfast at hotels than the Lamb was serving. Plus, I hate hidden costs of any kind. It immediately puts a bad taste in my mouth, regardless of how tasty the food is.

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping in Hongdae, which is pretty self-explanatory. I was in dire need {dramatic much?} of swimsuits, dresses, and accessories to accompany me when I travel to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore next month. The clothes start at ₩10,000 {less than my breakfast} and range into the hundreds. Hongdae has great outdoor vendors, offer plenty of western options like H&M, Forever 21, and Zara, and an abundant amount of unique dessert cafes.

Overall, I formed a great first impression of Seoul. I find the energy captivating, the range of activities endless, and the nightlife unmatched. Safe to say I will be returning soon to continue exploring everything the city has to offer. I definitely agree that it’s a city worth it’s own hype.

Over to you, have you been to Seoul? What were you first impressions of the city?