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Showing posts with the label Seoul

Travel in the time of Corona, Week 1

What I miss most about this Stay-at-Home order is traveling. I have many travel plans for 2020 which would have commenced in mid January. Those plans are now on hold but I’m not giving up on them. For now I’m digging up old photos relegated to the “dust bin” so I can travel vicariously and relive the good, old “If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Belgium” days. Join me for Week 1.   Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy  Dubrovnik, Croatia  Bato Bolong, Bali, Indonesia Malalison, Antique, Philippines Myeongdong, Seoul, South Korea  No Bucks Cafè (outreach service), Dublin, Ireland Pueblo Blanco, Andalucia, Spain ***** Images by TravelswithCharie

Seoul Traditions

The Gyeongbokgung Palace complex covers a staggering 4.4 million square feet. There are over 330 hundred structures in the compound and to see everything properly will require at least a couple of visits. The National Folk Museum of Korea is also within the palace grounds and its displays of historical domestic and agricultural artifacts are worth a visit.  Heungnyemun Gate is one of three entrances to Gyeongbok Palace. Gyeongbok was the main residence of the Joseon Dynasty from the 14th century until it was razed by fire in the 16th century and left abandoned for more than two and a half centuries. It was reconstructed in 1867 only to be demolished during the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. A 40-year restoration project of the palace was initiated in 1989 by the government.  Geunjeongjeon is the Imperial Throne Room and one of a handful structures that survived from the 19th century. Geunjeongjeon means “diligence helps governance”. Behind the throne is a screen pa

Markets of Seoul

Myeong-dong If LA is a great big freeway, then Seoul is a great big market. Above ground or underground, there is no dearth of choices. The only limit is how deep your pocket is. 

Seoul Food

Lunch at Arirang Folk Restaurant Any visit to Seoul easily turns into a food trip.  As soon as we checked into our hotel at the Seoul Plaza, we were prowling the streets checking out the various restaurants in the neighborhood. And as it happened, we chose Arirang Restaurant for our first meal in Seoul. That was a great pick because we had a very good lunch at Arirang. I ordered the Korean style seafood pancake and it looked and tasted like it spent just the right amount of time in the pan. My brother cleaned up his bibimbap hot pot. The japchae was a rich mix of sweet potato noodles, stir fried vegetables and shredded beef. The black cod boiled down in soy sauce was the amazing reveal.  It was both flavorful and moist. It was the very first time in my life that I really appreciated cod. And the service was commendable. Address: 23, Namdaemun-ro 7-gil, Jung-gu (behind the Westin Chosun Hotel) Bibimbap My favorite dish is bibimbap but I couldn't fin