Dodo's D(e)ut(s)ch Division

Seoul, 12.10

On Saturday I went to Bukchon Hanok Village,  a traditional village that is composed of lots of alleys, hanok (old houses) and preserved to show a 600-year-old urban environment. Now it is used as a traditional culture center and hanok restaurant, allowing visitors to experience the atmosphere of the Joseon Dynasty.

Korean architecture lends consideration to the positioning of the house in relation to its surroundings, with thought given to the land and seasons. The interior structure of the house is also planned accordingly. This principle is also called Baesanimsu, literally meaning that the ideal house is built with a mountain in the back and a river in the front, with the ondol heated rock system for unique heating system of South Korea[ during cold winters and a wide daecheong front porch for keeping the house cool during hot summers.

Houses differ according to region. In the cold northern regions of Korea, houses are built in a closed square form to retain heat better. In the central regions, houses are 'L' shaped. Houses in the southernmost regions of Korea are built in an open 'I' form. Houses can also be classified according to class and social status. (Wikipedia)

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, not yet fall but not not that warm anymore either.

I went during lunch time, which was a mistake because all the workshops you can attend were on lunch break. You could paint your own fan, do embroideries, try different kinds of korean alcohol, etc. I just strolled along the alleys, and enjoyed the view from the observatory deck. After a while I had enough of the touristy attraction and went to the nearby park. Nobody was there so I could enjoy my lunch in peace and silence.

On the way back I walked along a busy street with lots of restaurant and really cool cafes. I saw a British Tea cafe, and wanted to have the "afternoon tea time", but when I saw the price of a pot of Darjeeling was 12$, I left :(

Subway station, 20.09

There is a cool art exhibition with really nice paintings, etc inside a subway station in Seoul. I really love this city. It does not ever get boring here.

Seoul, 21.09

Today, a couple of students, Sarah, and I went to the Caribbean Bay Water Park near Seoul. It is one of the biggest of its kind in the world. The park includes a wave pool, the world's longest lazy river ride, a sandy pool, a wading pool for young children, various water slides, and a salt sauna.

Due to Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving, the park offered a discount just for foreigners, Instead of paying 50,000W for admission. it was only 18,000W, which is 12€ or 18$. So incredibly cheap. Unfortunately, some of the outdoor slides were closed for some reason, but it was fun anyway. I really enjoyed the lazy river and hot tubs. The weather was great as well, not too cold although fall is coming soon.

Afterwards, we went to SNU station for chicken and beer. We were starving... 

Seoul, 20.09

Sarah and I went to hike up the Fortress Wall of Seoul. 

The Seoul Fortress wall was built in 1397 as protection from invaders and show the boundaries of the city, surrounding Hanyang in the Joseon Dynasty. At that time, it was called Hansung. The wall stretches 18.2km but most of it has been destroyed over the years during the Japanese invasion and Korean War. The government is currently trying to restore most of the wall. (Wikipedia)

You have to bring your passport and fill out a form since the wall is a kind of militarized zone. 

It is a strenuous walk and after a couple of hours of climbing stairs Sarah and I went back, with our legs shaking when going down hill again.

It was a really beautiful and hot day, and the landscape was incredible.

Tokyo, 14.-19.09

After spending almost 2 months apart, I finally got to see my twin sister Kiki again. She is currently doing her exchange year in Tokyo at ICU. I was going to stay at a hostel during my visit, but I ended up sharing a single bed with my sister in her dorm room. It felt like the old days :)

We met Sarah in Tokyo, and had dinner at a restaurant on the 29th floor in Shinjuku with a great view of the city. Unfortunately those picutres were deleted accidentally.

We also went to an Onsen, a japanese style spa with hot tubs and saunas. You get to wear a Yukata, which is really comfortable. You can also order any kind of food you want. It is really amazing. Entrance to a spa like this plus food and transportation can easily cost you 50€ or 70$ per person. But well worth it.

These dishes are examples of what kind of food is served at SNU. The first two meals cost 2500W, that is about 2,50$ or 1,70€. So very cheap and very good. 

The next one below is 3000W, so 3$ or 3€.

Then there is also a lot of good restaurants on campus.

A beer and chicken place, which serves spicy and crispy chicken and fries... so good! About 10$ per person.

And a vietnamese restaurant. A little pricy (10$), but really yummy.

Of course SNU has also a Pizza and Pasta restaurant. A pizza is about 10$ (7€) and Pasta around 6$ (4€)

Breakfast in the cafeteria is 2,50$ (1,70€).

You can also buy lunch or dinner at the 7/11 next to the dorm. You buy sushi, instant noodles for about 3$ (2,30€)

Seoul, 07.09

Sarah and I went to Amsa-dong where we visited the prehistoric settlement site. 

"It exhibits the prehistoric lifestyle of Korea with various relics. This site was inhabited from the early to the late Neolithic period. The years were from 6,400 years ago to 3,500 years ago."

It was really cool and fun and we actually learned a lot about Korean history, 

Then we went to Dongdaemun market. It is a shopping district and night market, where you can buy all kinds of cheap replicas of designer brands. 

Hongdae, 06.09

Today I had class from 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. They are interesting classes, but 6 hours of lecture is too much.

For lunch Youn and I went to a vietnamese restaurant on campus. So good! You can share a platter of starters for 12$ or 9€. It is on the pricier side of restaurant/cafeterias at SNU, but worth it. 

At 7pm we went to Hongdae, a neighborhood full of bars, restaurants, and clubs. The SNU buddy program organized a neon party for exchange students. They had, of course, a beer drinking contest. It was fun and you met a lot of new people.

Seoul, 6.9

For lunch I tried the instant noodles that I bought a while ago. In every building you have water dispensers, which have cold and hot water. So you just fill up your bowl with hot water there. That is pretty convenient and the noodles were actually not that bad.

For dinner, I joined a couple of friends who went to Myongdong. It is a shopping area with many good deals for clothing. We had chicken, which they grill on your table with noodles and vegetables. Once you have finished the chicken, they put rice and cheese in the pan and mix it with the leftovers. We paid 6€ or 8$ per person. 

Then, we went shopping and had some tasty coffee and cake. Actually, we were quite an international group. A girl from Australia, America, Sweden, Germany, and two cute Korean girls. They wanted us to learn the language, so they spoke Korean every once in a while! So cool!!

(This is a hard cover for a phone... those are so popular here in Korea and i have no idea why. They are super huge and heavy and... uhm ridiculous!? haha)