용주사 Yongju-sa

Our first temple visit in Korea was to Yongju-sa, 용주사, built in 1790.  Yongju, meaning Dragon jewel, was built after King Jeongjo dreamed a dream about a dragon holding a red jewel.  The King took it as a sign that he needed to build a temple near the grave of his father, which he did.
Yongju-sa now only contains a few original buildings.  Most of the site was rebuilt in 1994.  The main building contains main dragon paintings which I was unable to get a picture of as they were holding prayers while we were there.  One item to note, the site contains a 200+ year or tree that was planted at the temples dedication.

We were there late in the evening, so my lighting isn't very good.

The Goryeo Dynasty Bell, cast in 854!

The detail!

We stopped at this temple on the way back from Osan AFB.  I thought it would be nice to see something Korean, so looked in the travel book.  The temple wasn't too far out of the way, so we decided to chance it.  It was late in the day and our chance of getting stuck in rush hour traffic was high, why not see something besides the highway!
We ended up driving on this "two lane" road, which wasn't much wider than our car!  It wound its way through a small village and around a park.  There were a few tight spaces and speeding cars.  There was a lot of pulling over and "sharing" the road.  It was crazy.  We got to the temple just before dark, and promised ourselves to find another, bigger way home.

Beef and Leaf

Koreans are famous for their bbq.  Restaurants that grill and serve sides are called Beef and Leaf.  They grill the meat right at your table with either built in grills or portable grills.  I went out with some friends to Nampo Myeonok a 40 year old restaurant in Gangnam-gu.  We tried Bulgogi 불고기, which means fire meat, and Galbi 갈비, and Gogigui.  On the side we had 5 or 6 different types of Kimchi, some lettuce, and rice.  It was a great meal. 

Bulgogi cooking with mushrooms.  Yummy.

The in-table grill.

 

The drive there was an adventure in and of itself.  I went with my new friend Karen.  She drove, I navigated (I followed the GPS and helped confirm directions).  The GPS took as down some back alleys, steep hills, and round about ways.  There was barely room for the mini van we were driving on some of the roads we took.  Karen and I were laughing so hard by the time we made it to the restaurant.  It was successful though: we made it with out any U-turns and no accidents.

Korean War Memorial

This boat was from a recent scrimmage with the North Koreans.  The ship was riddled with bullet holes.  The picture auto rotated coming into my post and I can't get it back.

Great outdoor displays.

 

The high school students on a field trip at the museum all wanted a picture with the cute American boys.  We were mobbed.  The boys didn't know what to do.

We only made it through the first floor of the museum.  It has a great history of the battles since the beginning of Korea.  It will take a few more trips for us to make it through all the information.

Bargin Alley

 

The place to go if you need new shoes.  Store after store down this tight little alley.  The path is barely a two way street for foot traffic.  The stores pretty much have the same stuff, but you can haggle and get the price you want.  Keep walking down around the corner towards Toy alley you will find the cobblers making dies and shoes to supply the alley with.

Peyton - these shoes are for you!

 

If you haven't noticed the shopping is grouped in Seoul by type. Want toys - go to toy alley. Want fabric - head to the 9 story side by side buildings full of anything imaginable for sewing called Dongdaemun (I could have spent hours there). Bakers Alley, Pet Alley...It sure is a different way to shop.

 

9 floors! Fabric, trim, zippers, buttons, you name it.

 

 

Cheonggyeocheon Stream

청계천

Cheonggyeocheon Stream is located in the heart of downtown Seoul.  The stream used to be covered by an elevated highway, but was restored several years ago. The highway was removed and the stream redeveloped.   Now it is a great natural area in downtown.

Tile artwork about Korea battles

One of the many fountains along the walking paths.

 

N Seoul Tower

Originally a TV broadcast tower, the N Seoul Tower is now a tourist destination. You would think the N would stand for North, but it stands for New after it was remodeled in 2005.  It is  236.7m tall and sits atop Namsan Mountain (243m), Seoul Tower has a great  panoramic view of Seoul.  We walked from the base up to the top of the mountain and caught the changing of the guard ceremony.

Hiking up Namsam Mountain

The view of downtown from the top of Namsam.

Changing of the guard.

Locks of Love.
Seoulites have a tradition of adding a lock to the fencing at Seoul Tower to mark the commitment to their love.

Around town

What have we seen?

This sculpture/play structure at Seoul Grand Forest.

Fun parks.

A neat bridge.

The Han River.

The East Gate built in 1398. Rebuilt in 1869.

Water Show at the Bampo

We rode our bikes across the river one evening to watch the Bampo Bridge water show. It is a daily occurrence. There is always a crowd, even river cruises to come and see the show. We have now seen the show from both sides of the river, both side of the bridge, as well as top and bottom bridges. We have had fun seeing it from many different angles.

Bike Riding on the Han.

 

Looking towards the bridge for the night light/water show.

 

From the lower bridge looking out over the water.

 

Foster Family

We have a new member of the family.  Polo joined in September.  He is only temporary (which I tried to stress with ALL the boys), but the boys were so excited to have a kitty in the house again.  He loves to play and is good with the boys.  They are all having fun (I think).
 

Costco

It isn't quite the same.  Costco is several stories tall with underground parking and there is always a line for the parking garage.  You get to drive your cart on the escalator and buy twelve different kinds of mushrooms in bulk.  And it has great hours, 8am-10pm!  What Costco does that in the states?

The bakery is the same.  It smelled like heaven the first time we shopped.  It isn't the deal like back home especially because the Kirkland brand is now an specialty import item, but it was still a fun adventure.  I managed to find some storage solutions for paper, crayons, and school supplies.

Subway to church

Two transfers, three trains, above ground and below.  It is quite the adventure to get to church.  We are quite the spectacle too.  The Koreans love talking, touching, and staring at the boys.  The boys aren't quite sure what to make of it.

Dragonflies

It is like flies at a picnic, mosquitos at a campsite.  They are everywhere. The dragonflies are all different colors.  It is pretty cool.  Caught this guy with my cell phone camera.

Seoul Forest

It is a park, not a forest.  Think Central Park in NYC.  They have this great fountain for the kids to play in.  The two apartment towers in the back are the most expensive in Seoul: helipad and driving range on the roof, view of river and mountains.

Riding the Han

We live near the Hangang (Han River).  It has a great bike trail on both sides of the river that runs all the way to the ocean.  We haven't gone that far, but we have gone riding.  It is great fun.

There's James leading the group.  His 12" wheels make for slow travels, but his legs are like lightning.

On the Street

A few things we have seen on the streets of Seoul.

PAPA - you have to come and see the Electronics mart.

Looked like potpourri, but could be spices.

Checking out the wares in Insa-dong

We even found an antique store.

Followed quickly by a dump/paper sorting station.

This street vendor was selling tops and let all the boys spin one.

Standard issue

Gas masks.  Who knew?!  We stashed the boxes with our 72 hour kits.

Our Household Goods!

Finally the rest of our belongings have arrived (minus the car).  I am so excited to have our "stuff".  Only a few things broken, including the only shelving unit I brought).  Now for the unpacking and organizing.  Maybe our house will start feeling like a home.

Unloading our three cartons.  Not much since we brought all 6 beds (a good choice).

End of Summer Bash

What do you do with one hundred or so kids in close quarters to end the summer? Water Balloon Party! One our residents put this party together. Everyone had to bring water balloons and a package of Popsicles to participate. The kids had a blast.


Our collection of green water balloons.

Waiting for the balloon fight to begin.

The chaos.  It was great fun.



Popsicles after the water fun.