Seoul: a city full of suprises

Heyy, on my little world trip, I had the incredible opportunities to make a short trip to South Korea to the capital Seoul. And what should I say: quite different from what I expected, but the capital has incredibly much to offer. That is what I want to talk about today.

Expectations:

Honestly, I had not been very informed about Seoul and, apart from the face background of the Korean peninsula, I did not know much about the city. Of course about the huge economic recovery I knew therefore the expectations: modern, clean big city. While of course you can find such neighborhoods there are also quite different corners to discover.

Reality:

Arriving late in the evening I came from the subway station and it was 5 degrees at first. I wasn't quite prepared for that, but what should I do? Then I went to the hostel, which I must mention by the way was one of the best hostels I have ever been able to stay in. The host has worked so hard to create a great atmosphere among his guests and in general he gave us all incredibly many recommendations and continued to help. 

Day one:

On the first day of my trip, I embarked on my way to the older part of the city, where I had to recall that there is no typical European old town. In general, Asian cities (or those I’ve seen) rarely have a “city core” as we know it, but rather quite a lot of different neighborhoods and these have different character. And to be honest, my quarter pick was the wrong one for the first day. The older part struck me with impressions and was thus a total overflow of emotions and impressions. I just lost myself in a typical local market because there was so much going.
I then made my way to Seoul Tower, walked up there to have a brilliant view of Seoul, as well as the thousands of locks on the terrain and that brought me some peace again. After that, I tried myself at a street food market and was able to try really delicious things there. Yes, it was very hectic there too, but now I've gotten used to it. In the evening, I had really moved into the hostel life and was able to experience some of the party life of the Hongdae neighborhood. And what do I say, yes, Seoul can party well, too. 

Day two:

The second day has arrived and with new friends from the hostel I went off to a really fancy cafe with even a small fireplace. After that, we went together to a truly very transparent market, with a lot of fish and seafood - living seafoods. It was also not quite my case but one should have seen such a living crab at a market stand. There was also street food and then we separated as I still wanted to Bukchon Village and to the Kings Palace of Seoul. Even there it was very crowded, yet you got a good insight into the South Korean culture, which fascinated me very much. Then I went to Gangnam, like the song, to the Star Field Center to a very well-known and beautiful library. Unfortunately I could not read much in the books, yet it was nice to watch. 
Finally for this day I was allowed to try Korean BBQ for the first time in my life and it was very delicious. The meat is grilled infront of one and there are Korean additives and oil and salt to garnish. Was one of the best dishes, along with Korean dumplings. After a short drink in a sweet bar then we went back to the hostel.

Day Three:

Day three should be very exciting. Following recommendations of the hostel I made a tour of the DMZ - demilitarized zone - to the border of North Korea. The best guarded border in the world. After meeting my tour guide, we went to the border area and there I was able to learn a lot about the relationship between North and South Korea. I was allowed to walk down one of the four tunnels already discovered between North and South Korea. The atmosphere in the border zone was, however, quite depressing and I felt a bit inconfortabl - but nothing else to expect in such an area. Nevertheless, the experience was unparalleled, especially for a person interested in history, and I very much hope that the two countries will at some point be able to a long-awaited merger.

After these three exciting days, I went to Japan, but of course a summary and a few recommendations must not be missed.

Summary Seoul - my point of view:
Honestly, the first day was very overwhelming and I wasn't sure if I’ll ever like the city. Nevertheless, when I saw other places with others people together, the city showed its charm. In addition to the excellent food, there is also a great cafe culture and relatively affordable prices. In addition, there are endless possibilities to discover new corners, just as you can go shopping very cheaply. What makes seoul so charming to me is that no matter how many times you have been there, you will always discover new things and at every corner there is something exciting to see. 

However, I have already noticed a few negative aspects, such as exemplary hospitality. Apart from my hostel manager, Koreans are very distant and, as I have often felt, somewhat unfriendly. Smalltalk is not really given in restaurants and cafes and also otherwise they are very distant. Moreover, the city can simply be a lot at once: new culture, new language, still a lot use of cash and quite difficult to find somewhere a real grocery store - so many restaurant visits are preprogrammed.
And, of course, the safety aspect. The first two days I did not really feel uncomfortable, but had the facts in mind. On the third day after the tour to the DMZ, however, my own sense of security has already reduced a bit and so I was happy to have made the tour on the last day.

My recommendations/ what I liked:

Giving recommendations if you have only spent two days in Seoul is rather difficult than easy. But these were my favorite places.

Hongdae (shops and parties)

Gyeongui (shopping and walking)

Bukchon Village Area (Korean flair)

Myeong Dong Night Market

Starfield Library - Seoul Tower 

That was my little look back on my short time in the South Korean capital. The city has its own charm and is definitely worth a visit. You don’t really have to have any safety doubts, but I don't know if you can feel 100% comfortable.

Thank you for making it so far!

Bye,

Valentina