Seoul II: War Memorial of Korea

April 2014


I love history especially when it comes to war. War Memorial of Korea is built to commemorate the heroes who have scarified themselves for the peace and independence of South Korea. One good thing about this museum - Free Entry

It is easily accessible via Samgakji Station Exit 12. It is closed on every Monday.

Beautiful trees outside the exit.

Monuments in remembrance of the Korean War

Freedom is not free

Upon entry of the memorial building

Statues of the heroes

The museum hall is very tourist friendly with English interactive clips and explanations.

12 zodiac animals as guards of the deceased

Paintings and displays that illustrate the ancient war

Outfits in the past

 Displays of planes and ships outdoor.

Up Next: Seoul II Seodaemun Prison

Seoul II: Sinsa + Namdaemun Market

April 2014

With the chilling wind blowing across the street, I crossed over to Sinsa street
- Garosugil: Sinsa Station (신사역) – Line 3, exit 8 (10 minute walk) for Softree's Honey Chips Milk Ice cream. With the guide online, it is easy to find the shop.

Sinsa Exit 8 > Missha Shop > Turn left into Dosan-daero 13-gil > walk straight til People to People store at right side of the road > Turn right to a small lane.

I'm disappointed that the ice cream is not available in corno form :( I have to settle for ice cream instead. It is cold in the spring so I guess that explained there is no crowd in the store. I was expecting a long queue based on online reviews. Indeed, the ice cream melt fast with the honey chip toppings @ 4800 won.

 

Love it that Garosugil street has free wifi. I enjoyed my ice cream while posting it online using free wifi

Few days later, I head over to Namdaemun Market - Hoehyeon Station. It is huge compared to Gwangjang Market. Namdaemun Market is divided into sections - children, food, adult clothings etc.  

Children's section @ Exit 4

It's time for lunch. I entered a store that provides English menu which is convenient for a foreigner like me.

 I ordered Mandu soup with meat filling inside. It costs 6000 won and I took at least one hour to finish it due to my unwell body. Kimchi provided are too hard to be chewed so I only enjoyed my soft mandu (dumplings).

I love Korean seaweed and I bargained for 3 big packets 22,500 won. In each big packet, there are 3 different flavours and one big packet consists of 18 small packets. 1 flavour - six small packets.

I enjoy walking along the food alley 

.

Chanced upon this bun shop when I came out from Exit 6. I bought 2 red bean buns - 1500 won each. The size is huge with lotsa sweet red bean filling. 

This is how big the bun is 

From Namdaemun Market, I exit from exit 6 and walked straight along the road to Myeongdong.  

I did not take much photos at Myeongdong. The place is just full of beauty products shops and the sales girls working there will distribute one free facial masks if you enter their shop to at least take a look at their products in the hope of you buying something before you free. In total, I got 7 free facial masks for just visiting some stores and bought from some of the shops.

Next post: War Memorial of Korea Part 1

Seoul II: Gwangjang Market + Dongdaemun

April 2014

I love visiting markets for their cheap food and to experience its local feel. From Jongno 5-ga station,Exit 8, turn into the small alley into Gwangjang market 광장시장. The market is clean and no odour at all. Be prepared to sit alongside strangers while eating in front of the stalls.

Famous dishes here are the Korean pancakes (빈대떡/bindaettuk) or baby gimbap (마약김밥/mayakgimbap)

 Food stalls selling the same dishes are grouped together. I just randomly choose a stall. Surprisely, the Koreans ahjumma (aunt) can understand English. Tough Competition among the stall owners.

 This is my first time eating Korean Pancake - 4000 won. The portion is just nice for 2 people. It is eaten with a dip into the light sauce.

 I came back on another day for the Korean Gimbap(seaweed roll with rice and veggies) at this stall which was featured in Running Man - a very popular Korean variety show.

 I walked from Gwangjang Market to Dongdaemun. It is quite a distance to people who do not like to walk. Usually I will walk one subway station distance to avoid paying for transport fee since I can explore the area and save money. 

Here's the map to show you how walkable the distance is

I

 Passed by Pyounghwa Clothing Market. Along Cheonggyecheon Stream, there are a line of pet shops and I get to take photographs of these cute animals. 

 There are even squirrels too. Awesome!They are so cute!

 I like the fluffiness of bunnies' fur coat. They look so cosy, snuggling together.

 My fried breaded hotdog stick - 2000 won from the street stall outside Doota

 

Bought the food at Gwangjang Market and clothes at Dongdaemun area. 

Seaweed - 5000 won

Ginseng Tea powder - 7000 won

Rice Cake (at bottom left) - 4000 won

Singlet Dresses x4 - each at 5000 won

Striped Long Sleeve Dress - 10,000 won

Cute couple stitched print tee - 10,000 won

Cute girl stitched print tights - 10,000 won

Up Next: Sinsa + Namdaemun Market