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Incheon’s Open Port Area and Living Museum: What To See
Incheon, Korea has some really cool things to see and there are a number of them all in one place. You can easily see Incheon Chinatown, Fairytale Village, and Wolmi Island all in one day if you want to. Nestled between them though, is the quieter but very intriguing Open Port Area that is accessible right from the subway station but somehow very overlooked by most visitors. It’s easy to walk along this collection of historic buildings and think you just want to get to the Chinatown restaurants for some jjajangmyeon or over to the rainbow steps in Fairytale Village, but trust me, you should stop and take a gander…
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Yulgok Botanical Garden and The Hillside Of Chrysanthemums To Find This Fall
If it has “botanical garden” in the name, you can trust that it’s saved on my map to see. If you’re adventuring in the Paju area and heading northwest of Seoul, you’ll want to have it on your list to visit especially in autumn in Korea. Yulgok Botanical Garden (์จ๊ณก์๋ชฉ์) has one of the most beautiful Siberian chrysanthemum covered hillsides in all of Korea. Of course there are plenty of other reasons to go, but this was the highlight for us, not to mention the cosmos and reeds waving int the winds. Am I making you ready for a fall escape yet? Yulgok Botanical Garden definitely demands a spot on…
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Doganitang: Why I Love Korean Ox Knee Soup
The first time I had doganitang (๋๊ฐ๋ํ), or Korean ox knee soup, I had just finished an English lesson and my 70 year old student invited me to lunch. He was the kind of older Korean guy there was no declining so I went along and was quite taken aback when the soup he’d ordered us was filled with some sort of gelatinous meat. I wasn’t completely sold at first, but my old friend had good taste so I knew to trust him and eat what was in front of us. Over the years, doganitang has become one of my favorite Korean soups and it might just become one of…
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The Gimnyeong Craft Metal Mural Village: The Olle-gil Route Where Art & Nature Collide
If you’ve visited Jeju Island in South Korea, you’ve likely come across information regarding the Jeju Olle-gil or Jeju Walking Trail, a path that circles the entire island as well as a number of islands that you can get to easily from Jeju. This walking trail offers a beautiful way to see the coastline of the island, enjoy the beaches, and for many, it becomes a goal to complete the entire thing. If you do, you’ll come to realize that not all parts of the trail are the same. In fact, they each have their own tale to weave really. One such path that has quite an interesting story to…
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Cruises In Korea: From Port Of Incheon And Beyond!
I’m recently back from a cruise down the Elbe River in Europe and enjoyed the hop-on-hop-off aspect of the travel. Seeing so many cities but having one bed. It was fantastic actually and made me wonder why I hadn’t heard more about cruise ships in Korea more. The peninsula is surrounded by water after all. I’ve seen cruise ships in the ocean waters outside of Busan and Jeju Island and wondered, how popular are South Korea cruises? I think they should be more popular. The world of passenger ship cruises has experienced a surge in popularity, with travelers seeking unique and diverse destinations but it seems like a lot of…
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Sundubu Jjigae In Seoul: Where To Eat This Korean Tofu Stew
My first few years in Korea I had a friend who LOVED sundubu jjigae (์๋๋ถ์ฐ๊ฐ) with a passion. It became her comfort food and she ordered it at meal after meal when we were finished working. While she had jumped on the soft tofu stew with a passion, it took me years to appreciate it as much as she did. Sundubu jjigae, a popular comfort stew made with soft tofu, is now one of my favorites too and I’ve realized that a lot of foreigners that first see it assume it to be a lot spicier than it is and thus are put off of diving into it head first.…
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Lavender Fields In Korea: Where To Find Them
There’s something about the aroma of lavender that just can’t be beat. I can’t help but reach for a lavender shrub when I see one to rub a few leaves between my fingers so that I can enjoy that enchanting scent. If you’re visiting Korea this summer, be sure to take a daytrip to find one of the beautiful lavender fields. There are so many beautiful places to visit and if they have flowers, all the better. This summer in Korea, you should definitely take a trip to see some of the beautiful lavender fields. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale…
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Boribap: The Korean Countryside Meal That’s Always Delicious
I’m often asked for my tips and tricks for traveling around Korea and finding good food. While there are a plethora of both Korean and international food options when you’re in the heart of Seoul, get out into the countryside and sometimes it can be difficult especially if you’re traveling with children or picky eaters. So, let me tell you what works EVERY TIME! Find the boribap (๋ณด๋ฆฌ๋ฐฅ) restaurant. Boribap restaurants can look unassuming, rustic even, and sometimes just a room attached to a house, but you will absolutely find the best food made with locally grown vegetables and on top of that, it’s kid-friendly, vegetarian-friendly, and the best part,…
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Samgyetang: What Is It and Where To Eat It In Seoul
If you’ve ever experienced the hottest of summers when the sweat pours and the lethargy and lack of energy takes over leading to afternoon siestas, you may think you already know how to fight the heat. But do you know how to fight the hottest of summer temperatures Korean style? In Korea, there is a concept called iyeol chiyeol (์ด์ด์น์ด), basically controlling heat with heat, or fighting fire with fire as we say in English. On the hottest days of the summer in Korea, instead of going for cold treats like patbingsu or even cold soups, of which there are many delicious Korean cold soups, Koreans eat the hottest bowls…
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Riding The Bus In Seoul: What To Know
When it comes to transportation in Seoul, the infrastructure is amazing. The Seoul Subway System is vast and usually the easiest to use for newcomers. The buses on the other hand, tend to be the hardest for newcomers to master. Bus routes can definitely help you reach certain places a lot easier though, so let me help you learn how to use the buses in Seoul. I personally enjoy taking the bus more than the subway because I can look out the windows and see what’s going on and spot sights in neighborhoods I might not know existed. If you’re going longer distances, the subway is probably your best choice,…
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The Biggest Temple In Korea: Tongdosa Temple
When you’re traveling around Korea, or even just sticking to Seoul, you will no doubt run into at least one Buddhist temple. Stay in Seoul and you can see the popular Jogyesa Temple or Bongeunsa Temple among others. Head out to go for a hike and you’ll find even more hidden away in the mountains of Korea. If you’re really intrigued by the spiritual and historical ambiance to be found at Buddhist temples in Korea, then you should definitely visit Tongdosa Temple (ํต๋์ฌ). Renowned as one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea (Haeinsa Temple and Songgwangsa Temple being the other two), it is also the largest temple in Korea.…
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Gwanghwamun Square: What Lies Beneath
How many times have you walked along Gwanghwamun Square? How many events have you seen at Gwanghwamun Square? Have you ever gone beneath the square that sits just south of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul though? The last time I was there and went down to see what was going on, I found the amazing space completely empty. As I made my way through the underground workings, I only came upon two groups of kindergarten students and their teachers. Because of that, I decided to write about what lies beneath Gwanghwamun Square and why you should really go to check it out. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive…
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Culture Day in South Korea: Free Things To Do In Seoul and More
Are you traveling to Korea soon and wondering how expensive it is? Wondering how to keep a budget? There are a ton of free things to do in Seoul and all around Korea, when you know where to look and when to look! If you’re on the hunt for discounted fun, free things to do and more, make sure to mark Culture Day (๋ฌธํ๊ฐ ์๋ ๋ ) down on your calendar. Held on the last Wednesday of every month in Korea, Culture Day was created as a special day to make cultural experiences more accessible to the public, no matter their economic status. With a huge number of discounts and freebies…
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The Korean Ajumma and How I Became One
When I first came to Korea, I had just graduated from university and I was pretty bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had no idea what was what and I was floating through life having fun, attending parties that seemingly never ended, and traveling around South Korea and other nearby countries. Switch to now and I’ve just turned 40 and l’ve learned how to transition into this next stage of my life from the iconic Korean ajummas that I’ve called neighbors for most of my adult life. For some, there’s something scary about them. For others, they seem undaunted by everything and liberated to the point of uncaring about mundane…
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Korea House: Seoul’s High-End Culture Complex
Ten minutes up the road from the popular Myeongdong shopping district and set near the Namsangol Hanok Village and Pildong mural streets, there’s a driveway that leads up to Korea House (ํ๊ตญ์์ง). I was lucky enough to attend a beautiful afternoon tea thanks to the Visit Korea Committee and I can’t say enough about this high-end traditional experience in Seoul. If you’re staying in Myeongdong, it is an ideal place to have dinner or tea and see a performance. Read on to see why. Enjoy a luxury dining experience in Seoul, Korea at Korea House. A traditional meal and performance, too: (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive…
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The Glass Hanok To Find In Hwaseong at the Hwaseong Botanical Garden
When I first saw a photos of Hwaseong Botanical Garden Greenhouse (ํ์ฑ์ ์ฐ๋ฆฌ๊ฝ ์๋ฌผ์) I was awestruck. Like any beautiful greenhouse, it’s all glass and gorgeous, but here, there’s an added and very unique-to-Korea addition, it’s in the shape of a traditional Korean Hanok. If you’ve walked down the Hanok lined streets of Bukchon or visited the Eunpyeong Hanok Village, you’ll know how beautiful a Hanok can be. Now, a gorgeously huge glass Hanok, that is a sight to behold. We love taking road trips in Korea and finding botanical gardens and outdoor spaces along the way to stop and stretch and Hwaseong Botanical Garden Greenhouse made for the perfect…
