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Korea Winter Trekking in a Nutshell: Seoul
Now that spring has sprung in South Korea, it feels as though the winter flew by in a blur. Many months ago, we were determined that we would not lose our whole winter in Seoul just sitting inside. And with COVID restrictions, being indoors in public spaces often was not an option. Having been warned about the low temperatures and cold winds that are common in this mountainous country, we brought along our warmest layers and prepared to spend time outside no matter the weather. Small groups of intrepid hiking friends joined together to tackle often icy, snowy trails, often comparing how many layers of thermal underwear each person had…
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Artful Seoul: More Sites in the City and Around (Part 2)
In this winter season, many museums and similar sites are closed due to the current coronavirus restrictions. The South Korean government has been pretty organized about how it sets restrictions when COVID numbers start to rise. Consequently, as soon as business re-open, we know we’d better get our visits in before they may be closed again! Fortunately, I was able to visit several art exhibits with friends before the current closures began. You may have read about my visits to the very cool exhibits at Museum SAN (Space, Art, Nature) and teamLab: LIFE in Part 1 of this post. As promised, here is Part 2 of our artful adventures in…
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Royal Scandal and Tragedy at Changgyeonggung Palace
There are many beautiful places to experience autumn in and around Seoul. I’d read that Changgyeonggung Palace was such a spot, and since we hadn’t visited it yet we put it on our list. We were able to take a free guided tour here and so were able to learn more of the history of this palace. In addition to being very scenic, it also has hosted some strange and tragic moments in Korean history. King Sejong, the fourth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, first built this palace in the mid-15 century. Its original purpose was to house his father, King Taejong, and his wives and concubines. It’s located east…
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Artful Seoul: Sites in the City and Around
It’s hard to believe that autumn is long gone and Christmas is upon us! In this season when we especially are missing family and friends back home, it is a comfort to realize that in a few short months, we have made friends in Seoul who are fellow explorers. We feel really grateful for the opportunity to meet and learn from this international community. As a bonus, it’s always great to have a network of people who know about places we otherwise would never have thought to visit! While Peter is at the lab during the week, I’ve had the privilege of sight-seeing with new friends. As it happens, for…
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A Rainbow of Colors in Seoul’s “Green” Spaces
With a population density twice that of New York City, you might picture Seoul as an urban jungle packed with tall buildings. While there is no shortage of cityscape, one of the greatest aspects of Seoul is its many parks. From ancient mountain trails to re-claimed industrial land, there are endless places to enjoy the outdoors. Before we arrived, all I could picture were city streets with neon signs and futuristic architecture. Now I realize what I will probably remember most about Seoul is the green space. We have visited many parks here, but this post will be dedicated to two of the largest and most interesting parks we have…
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What is Chuseok? How We Spent Our Autumn Holiday
Chuseok (추석), which literally translates to “Autumn Eve,” is often described as Korea’s Thanksgiving holiday. It is also called Hangawi (한가위), “the great middle of autumn.” A three-day holiday celebrated in September or October each year according to the lunar calendar, Chuseok is one of the two most important holidays of the year and is celebrated in both North and South Korea. (Lunar New Year is the other large, family holiday.) This year, the holiday was a little different as the government raised the level of social distancing guidelines, encouraging Koreans to stay home rather than risk spreading COVID-19 by visiting family around the country. Important Chuseok Traditions Like Thanksgiving,…
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Walking to School Uphill Both Ways: Welcome to Gwanaksan
If you’re looking for a campus to keep you fit while you walk to classes, Seoul National University is the place for you! Completed in 1975, the Gwanak Main Campus is built at the base of Gwanak Mountain (Gwanaksan), and as such includes a dizzying number of hills and stairs. The university is so integrated with the mountain that we finished this hike by staggering right onto campus – after viewing it from above at the summit. In order to end up at the university, we started our hike on the other side of the mountain, in the city of Gwacheon (just south of Seoul). Since it was such a…
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Urban Hiking Challenge on the Baegak Mountain Trail
Before we left the U.S. for South Korea, we told a group of friends that even with our 250-pound luggage weight limit, we were going to make room to pack our hiking boots. Even in COVID times, hiking is still open and (mostly) free. Well, it’s finally cool enough in Seoul to do some real hiking, and those boots are getting a workout! Seoul City Wall We prioritized hiking the Seoul City Wall (Hanyangdoseong) as a way to see as much as we can within the city. The 18.6 km-long wall originally was built in 1396 across the four mountains surrounding Seoul: Baegaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan. Called Seoul Fortress…
