Visiting Seoul (Where Are We – South Korea 4)

After a month of visiting family and friends in the Netherlands we returned to Korea, and back to Seoul/Suwon. Back to good companionship, fabulous food, and a beautiful country. It feels good to be here!

Getting Organized

As usual we brought back stuff from the Netherlands. This year we returned ready for the road with Pinewood clothing, and winter in Japan with Armadillo’s merino wool garments.

Coen installed new Hella lamps and fixed the last things on the to-do list, which still hung on the wall since the overhaul in Suriname. With all that and the necessary work in the digital world taken care off it was time to check out Seoul once more.

Sightseeing Seoul

We love this city! Yes, it has lots of traffic and smog, but not as much as we’ve had in some of the bigger South American cities. Seoul, which numbers some 10 million people, has a lot of green, including (sometimes non-smoking!) parks, and it’s easy to find a lot of nooks and crannies with quietness and solitude away from the hustle and bustle.

Among those peaceful places were along the old (restored) city walls that functioned for 500 years during the Joseon Dynasty (roughly 1350-1910) and where we did two short hikes, the truly impressive Jogye-sa temple, and Tapgol Park where especially elderly come to sit for a rest in the traditional gazebo/tea pavilion.

Read More: Remodeling the Land Cruiser

Kimchi and Palace Museums

We visited two museums worth of note:

• The National Palace Museum has a fantastic and beautifully set-up collection of everything that stood/took place in and around the palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. Seoul’s palaces are still there – some of them UNESCO sites – and open to visitors, and while architecturally beautiful buildings, they are empty, and this museum truly complements the whole image of palace life in those days.
• The Kimchi Museum. Kimchi is a type of fermented cabbage on which the Koreans live. It’s served as a side dish with every meal and I was told there are more than 200 different types. Due to the (sometimes high) content of red pepper paste, I’m not (yet) totally in love with it, but Coen is. I’m carefully trying little bits at the time to see if I can enjoy it without getting a mouth full of blisters…

Read More: Hella Lights Illuminating our Landcruising Adventure

What Else?

Seoul is humongous and there is lots to see and do. You could easily spend a year here. One of the things on our list is to explore more here at night – Seoul is so safe that even women alone feel safe to venture out here late at night. This doesn’t really work while staying in Suwon, as it is too far away by public transport that runs only until midnight. I’m sure we’ll find another opportunity.

Read More: Travel Information on South Korea

Now it is time to leave our wonderful friends and explore more of this beautiful country!

Check it out: the Landcruising Adventure Kids-Hoodie Collection

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More on South Korea:

Starting our Landcruising Adventure in the Far East (Where Are We – South Korea 1)

Hiking in South Korea – 465 Miles on Foot Across the Baekdu-Daegan

Hiking in Seoraksan National Park (Where Are We – South Korea 6)