Tag Archives: Seoul

Seoul International Book Fair

21 Jun

Seoul Book Fair

The 2013 Annual Seoul International Book Fair

Yes, all you English Majors in the world out there, be very, very jealous. For today, I was placed into a HUGE auditorium filled with books, and authors, and publishers, and it just keeps going! It was reader’s heaven!  So many books out there that I had never heard of (mostly because the vast majority were in foreign languages 😛 ).  

First opening in 1995, the Seoul International Book Fair has been going strong ever since.  Every year the Korea Publishers Assn.  hosts the event, which this year is at the COEX Exhibition Hall from June 19- June 23.  You can by your ticket at the ticket booth next to the exhibition hall, and then enter into a book-lover’s (and child’s) wonderland.

Stall

Instead of being one of those places where children with sticky Continue reading →

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Seoul Rose Garden Festival

20 Jun

I’m Back!

Yes, it’s me, the Procrastinating writer. Once again I fail to keep this up-to-date with my travels. But today, you are in luck! I come with fresh photos and news about my venture into the Seoul Rose Garden Festival today.  

 

Seoul Rose Garden Festival!

What:

Rose Garden

To clear up some confusion (I admit to being one of those bewildered), there are two names here to take into account. The Rose Theme Garden is the name of the location/garden. It is open 365 days a year and can be viewed at any time. It boasts of 20,000+ Roses in nearly 300+ varieties, but there are many other kinds of flowers as well.  You can find dozens of little ponds, Continue reading →

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A Lazy Day in Lion Land

20 Jun LIon

LIon

Lol, he kept yawning. It was making me sleepy!

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Psy(chology): Not the True Korea

19 Apr

Psy(chology): Not the True Korea

Psy

The Singer Psy

Take a moment and go check out this article: “Psy’s new track ‘Gentleman’ Banned in South Korea.  Yep, that’s right Psy has made another video.  Brings back traumatic memories of a certain song being stuck in your head for days when every radio, club, restaurant, and Wal-Mart was airing it.  

The first video “Gangnam Style” was so popular, it drove searches for South Korea through the roof.  I was living in the Gangnam (aka Kangnam) area when the song first came out. Previously, when friends asked where I was, I had to explain carefully where Korea was; trying to explain “South” Korea usually was more than they cared to get.  But suddenly, everyone know where the country was. Korea was popular, the entire nation Continue reading →

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48 Hours in Seoul: Day 2

24 Feb

48 Hours in Seoul: Day 2

An Itinerary for Getting the Most From A Too Brief Trip

See the introduction here.

See Day 1 here.

Note that all directions & prices were true as of mid-late 2012; I haven’t check back since then. I’m headed back this summer, so I’ll look and see then if I can. 🙂

Itinerary Summary–Day 2

  1. 8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. *** Breakfast at Myeongdong 
  2. 10:00 a.m. -11:30 p.m. *** Namsan Tower and the Cable Car
  3. 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. *** Lunch in Coex Mall
  4. 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. *** Shop and visit the Aquarium in Coex Mall 
  5. 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.***  Korean National Museum
  6. 5:30 p.m.- Whenever you leave *** Shop and enjoy Dondaemeun 

I tried to leave enough time for travel between each stop, but this means you may have a little more or less time depending on how long it takes you to move from one place to another.

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Breakfast/Shopping: Myeongdong

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Why?

Most touristy places in the city aren’t going to open up this early, so this is a good time to wander around and grab some  breakfast if you’re an early riser.  Myeongdong actually opens up pretty early because it caters to tourist shoppers; in fact you may hear people calling out in Japanese, since most of the tourist come from Japan.   Myeongdong is traditionally considered a shopping central for all fashionistas.  It’s got purses, clothes, glasses, beauty supplies, shoe stores, beauty parlors, etc.  Honestly, I preferred some other places more for actual bargain shopping (note that this is where the upper crusts shop as well; we’re talking Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana stores) , but it is an awesome place to grab coffee of a morning.  They have plenty of pastry/coffee shops like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc.  Plus, the stalls are fun to wander if they’re up before you leave, and you can sometimes walk away with a handful of free stuff from the hawkers. If you’re low on funds, maybe save your shopping $$ for later though. Continue reading →

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48 Hours in Seoul: Day 1

5 Feb

48 Hours in Seoul: Day 1

An Itinerary for Getting the Most From A Too Brief Trip

See the introduction here.

See Day 2 Here.

Itinerary Summary–Day 1

  1. 8:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. *** Gwanghwamun Square
  2. 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. *** Lunch in Itaewon
  3. 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. *** Shop in Itaewon
  4. 5:30 p.m.-7:45 p.m. *** Dinner at a Korean BBQ (It’ll be 5 before you get there)
  5. 8:40 p.m.-9:10 p.m. *** Take the Hangang Ferry Cruise
  6. Head in for a good night’s sleep/Party all night.

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History: Gwanghwamun Square

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Why?

Gwanghwamun Square is both amazing and one of the most important things to see while in Seoul.  You don’t have time to visit every major palace and museum in Seoul, but this palace both palaces and museums in one spot.  The Square itself is fascinating; because this is such an important place politically and culturally, the streets are lined with different political protests.  When I was there, you saw a long row of cages marked with signs protesting North Korea’s treatment of its citizens.  It is quite literally a square,  in the center is a long grassy strip with two large, very famous statues.  Then at one end you will find Gyeongbokgung Palace.   Continue reading →

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48 Hours in Seoul: Introduction

4 Feb
Seoul korea
Seoul, South Korea from the Namsan Tower

48 Hours in Seoul:

An Itinerary for Getting the Most From A Too Brief Trip

Are you looking for history, culture, nature, great food, good shopping, and a little taste of Korea?  Well, Seoul is definitely the best place for all of these things!  In fact, Seoul has so many amazing things to do that you could spend years there and still never see everything (I spent 3 months and barely cracked the surface). But sometimes you don’t have forever to spend in a place. Continue reading →

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Orange Blossom

25 Jan

Orange Blossom

Anyone know what kind of flower this is? It was blooming outside of Seoul’s tourism center this summer, but I still can’t find out what kind it was. Isn’t it gorgeous!!

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