Noryangjin Fish Market

I think I have mentioned this before: Koreans shop in markets.  They have a market for everything, or at least a section of town designated for certain items.  You want toys? You go to toy alley.  Fabric: head to the fabric mart.  What about stationary?  They have that too.  The nice thing about this system is if you know that markets, you know exactly where you need to go to buy what you are looking for.  The bad thing is you could be running all over town to get everything on your list.  At $1 a ride on the subway, that can add up pretty fast.

We visited the Noryangjin fish market on New Years Eve.  Half of the fish sold in Seoul is sold at this market.  We got there at the end of the day, so it was pretty quiet.  It was the perfect time for us to get a glimpse of the fish, to see the market, without getting swallowed up by the crowd.

Traditional store at the fish market.  Fresh, dried, and frozen, it's all there.

Checking out the live squid.

Coal fire to keep the workers warm.  Not very efficient.

Octopus anyone?

The view from above.  Stall after stall of fish.

Take out anyone?

Koreans eat the same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner. It is an array of kimchis, meat, rice and vegetables.  Many times I will see people out at the park eating the full Korean meal.  Even on hikes I have seen the full deal:rice, meat, tons of kimchi sides, rice, and chopsticks all packed in little containers spread out on these mylar blankets they pack in and out.  Korea has great street food, but it is not a meal, it is a snack.  The meal still requires the usual ingredients where ever you are.  Here is the meal selection at the 63 building.  Bibimbop, bulgogi, guk or tang, and Naengmyeon.



This was the fast food selection at the 63 building.



This was the ice cream bar: mounds of ice cream decorated in their flavor toppings.

63 Building 63 빌딩

We took a trip to the Six Three building here in Seoul.  At the time it was built it was the tallest building outside North America.  It has 60 floors above ground; three below.  It is 817 feet high and is the tallest gold clad building in the world to this day.  It casts a nice orange color on the ground below when the sun is shining.

The building is mainly an office building, but has become quite the tourist attraction with an aquarium, art gallery (the highest in the world), IMAX theatre, wax museum, and restaurants.  The day we visited it was full of local school groups out on a field trip. 

SkyArt is the art gallery located on the 60th floor.  It has one of the best views of Seoul.  It is panoramic and amazing on a clear day.  You almost miss the artwork showcased in the gallery due to the amazing view.  Check out my photos below.

The aquarium was ok.  A little on the small side.

Fish manicure anyone?

Some of the tanks were even decorated for the holidays.

The otter playground, which was closed because the otters were on a diet
(there was a place to feed them in one section of the tubing).

This is the panoramic view from SkyArt.  It was a pretty clear day when we visited, so we had a great view of the city.

Looking down on the Han River towards city center.

 

National Assembly is out this direction past all the housing and office buildings.

Falling Leaves

Korea has fabulous fall foliage.  It was beautiful.  The color change happened a little late this year, but it was amazing.  Oranges.  Reds.  Browns.  Gold.  We saw the colors change here in the city.  I am already making plans for next year to head out to the National Parks to get the true fall glory.