Flower Market

I've been in Korea for so long now that I often forget how new and exciting everything here seems to those back home. We took a trip to the flower market, which occupies most of the third floor of the express bus terminal. It consists of several looooong rows of all types of flowers. The fragrance of all these flowers is like a slap in the face when you first come through the doors, but you quickly adjust. The vendors watch their wares, you pick out what you like, they wrap them up and you're on your way to try your hand at arranging!

The Christmas decor was out; a dazzling display to say the least!

The stunning lilies I got for about $2.50!

Lantern Festival

This was the second year of Seoul's annual lantern festival. The lanterns are set up on pedestals in Cheonggyecheon stream, which has an interesting story itself. They were set up in the center of the stream for about a mile. There is a nice walking path along both sides of the the stream, and they had it set up so that each side was one way. Having lived in Korea for a while now, I have to say this was a surprisingly efficient endeavor.

The lanterns were beautiful and very finely crafted; I'm pretty sure they were made of rice paper. Of course, most of them had a Korean theme, but there was an international section with mostly Japanese and Chinese displays. They did have the Statue of Liberty and Superman representing for the US though!

This is a display of Namdaemun, literally south great gate, the south gate for ancient Seoul. (Namdaemun is also the name of the market where we went midnight shopping in a previous post because, as you guessed, it is next to Namdaemun gate and has been for centuries.)

Lanterns you could purchase to float downstream. They only went about 100 yards before they had a trap set up to catch them.

Lanterns hanging in the trees. These were my favorite displays!

Walking down the path.

Naminara

The tiny Nami Island was formed by the creation of Cheongpyeong Dam on the Han River and has been built up as a major tourist attraction. A movie and a hugely popular Korean television show, "Winter Sonata", were filmed here, which adds to the attraction for the Korean population. In 2006 it declared itself 'independent', so in order to visit you have to get a 'passport'. This is simply the ticket purchasing process. They are supposed to have their own currency as well, but I didn't see it. The name "Nami" comes from a general from ye olden Joseon times whose presumed grave was on this site.

General Nami's grave.

I recently saw some beautiful pictures of the scenery at Nami Island, and knew I had to go. I've been wanting to go to Nami for some time, and that was definitely the push I needed! Unfortunately, we went a little too late to enjoy all the fall leaves. There were a few still hanging on, but the majority were on the ground. There are several other things to do on Nami, an exhibit of various countries ethnic instruments, a ceramics workshop and artisan viewing center, train ride, and more. We just went to be outside and enjoy nature! It was a nice day and a nice setting to be together as a family.

Arriving at Nami's port. You have to take a ferry boat over to Nami. It takes about 5 minutes or so. OR you can zip-line over, which looked waaaay fun!

 Meta-sequoia path. 

 Gingko path. This is one of the quintessential images of Nami Island.

 Free range ostrich!

Midnight Shopping

I got an invitation to go night shopping at Dongdaemun Market, a bustling market that doesn't even set-up till 11 pm or later where you can buy whatever your heart desires. Who wouldn't want to shop at 1 o'clock in the morning? Well, usually that would be me. However, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was definitely an experience and I enjoyed it with a great group of ladies! We also saw several young kids with their moms, and even after all this time in Korea, I'm still surprised when I see kids out so late at night. 

Can you tell how sleepy we were? She is modeling a lovely horse purse for sale. This is in what the American community I'm around calls 'purse heaven'. Any thing you could want in any price range is here. Clutches with decorative brass knuckles handle, armored armadillo looking backpacks, and any name brand knock-off you can name. (They seem to be especially fond of Coach.)

Doosan Tower, one of the big western style shopping malls - instead of the traditional market style shopping- is in the background.

Fall

 Fall! A beautiful time of year. I was concerned that living in the big city would prevent me from seeing the leaves change, and for the most part I have missed a lot. (I really miss the Daegu Aroberetum!) However, I made sure to get to some place where I could see more than 2 or 3 trees at a time! We went to Naksan Park, where part of the Seoul Fortress wall stands. It was great weather and we had a nice time just being outside and enjoying the views!

One of the city gates.

 Fortress wall.

This tree was a brilliant red, but the light was not in my favor.

 Gingko trees along the sidewalk near our home.

 These leaves were enormous! I don't have anything in the picture to give a scale comparison. They were about a foot long and about a foot wide, huge!