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Changdeokgung Palace & The Secret Garden Everyone Is Talking About In Seoul
Changdeok Palace (์ฐฝ๋๊ถ), translated to mean the “Palace of Illustrious Virtue”, was the principal palace for many of the Joseon kings and sitting just up the street from the more famous Gyeongbukgung Palace, it warrants a visit any season of the year with one of the most beautiful gardens in the city. This palace in Seoul Korea is actually said to be the most beautiful in each season and needs to be seen in each season… so I hope you’re ready to go at least four times. Looking for some specific information? Skip around: (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I…
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A Look Back: Our Korean Wedding Ceremony
Three years ago at the end of October, my family from the States arrived to Seoul and we made our way down to Busan to prepare for my first wedding ceremony to my husband. Though it’s not our “official” anniversary because we chose our subsequent American wedding ceremony date in January, that doesn’t stop us from receiving a card yearly from my grandmother wishing us a “Happy Anniversary” in October. Every year about this time, the leaves begin to change colors and I am taken back to images of the colorful Hanbok that I wore for our ceremony surrounded by family and friends outside on a gorgeous day with blue…
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Pregnant In Korea: The Superstitions, The Benefits, & So Much More!
When I found out I was pregnant, the feelings of excitement, joy and of course some nerves washed over me. Being pregnant in Korea can have so many benefits and great things, but being a foreigner who is pregnant abroad can bring with it a whole new set of questions aside from the standards. What are the benefits of giving birth in Korea? What are the Korean pregnancy superstitions I should know? Where can I buy maternity clothing that fits me? When I was pregnant there weren’t any guides for being pregnant in Korea online to check out or much info in English at all about doctors and centers. My…
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The Yangnyeongsi Herbal Medicine Market: Experience Herbal Medicine In Seoul
Pharmacies, pharmacies everywhere, but did you know there are also herbal medicine markets and more holistic medicine places you can go in Seoul too? After living in Korea for many years, I become very interested in some of the more holistic ways that they take care of pain. After birthing, Korean traditional medicine recommends staying in very hot rooms and eating seaweed soup to produce more milk. When I have headaches or indigestion, my husband were ask where it hurt and then push on pressure points in my hands the way his other would do to him. Why take medicine when you don’t have to? Anyway, if you’re looking to…
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The Annual Seoul Fireworks Festival: A Guide To The Event & The Views
The Seoul International Fireworks Festival (์์ธ์ธ๊ณ๋ถ๊ฝ์ถ์ ) is a yearly event in Seoul that takes place in the Yeouido Han River Park area each autumn and it is stunning! Massive crowds arrive using all modes of transportation and not only is the Yeouido Han River Park packed, but the bridges are as well. Want to know how to see the fireworks in Seoul? Have a picnic before the fire flowers, as they call them in Korean, explode, or just have some fun near Han River? Here is what you should know to plan an amazing outing to see this festival in Seoul that is a must see event each year. Below…
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Multicultural Family Life In Korea (ํ๊ตญ์ ๋ค๋ฌธํ ๊ฐ์ ์ํ_, My Korean Husband (๋์ ํ๊ตญ์ธ ๋จํธ)
My Korean Husband Attended Our Baby Shower
Baby celebrations in Korea are a bit different from in the United States where I’m from. Koreans don’t usually have baby showers so I thought it was important to invite my Korean husband to my baby shower and let him enjoy this cultural celebration. It was a great way for him to see how we celebrate the impending birth in the States with silly baby games, gifts to help us prepare and friends that love us. Of course, we would do other celebrations the way Koreans do later, but this was an introduction for him on how we prepare for a baby in the US. (This post contains affiliate links,…
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Saying Goodbye to Summer with Blooming Cosmos
The winds have shifted and the cooler breezes have been blowing in to say autumn is here and winter is on its way. With autumn comes some amazingly colorful mountain views but also to delight, the cosmos bloom. It’s a flower that holds on until the end and seems to wave goodbye to summer and welcomes us in to autumn. It’s one of the last flowers to enjoy before the plants begin to wilt and turn brown winter ice and snow make their own beautiful scenes to view.The pinks and white of the blooms conjure up memories of the recentย spring and summer fun we had frolicking outside with bare feet…
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Haedong Yonggung Temple & The Seaside Views In Busan
Buddhist temples are not terribly difficult to stumble upon while in Korea. There are temples in the middle of Seoul daring those that enter to just try and find quiet solitude and there are temples dotting the mountains across the country so any hike becomes that much more interesting with the addition of a tour of one. Rarely, though, do you find a seaside temple in Korea. Haedong Yonggung Temple (ํด๋์ฉ๊ถ์ฌ), which means Korean Dragon Palace Temple, is probably the most popular and widely known seaside temple in South Korea and it truly does live up to the hype that brings so many visitors to its gates in Busan, Korea.…
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Seokguram Grotto: Seoul’s Version
Seokguram Hermitage (๊ฒฝ์ฃผ ์๊ตด์) is one of those places that makes it onto every list of top 10 temples, Buddhist sites or wondrous views while in Korea. If you haven’t heard about it yet, head over to my friend Dale’s website and read more about it there. As I’ve read the name and heard it again and again, though haven’t yet been the site myself, I recognized it when I came across the name in Korean as I sat on the side of Mt. Inwang in Seoul. Seokguram… Seokguram (์ธ์์ฐ ์๊ตด์), when I realized why I recognized the name it made me all the more confused as to why there…
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Tongin Market: Eat On A Budget Near Gyeongbokgung Palace
Traditional markets dot the map of Seoul with some becoming more popular than others either due to a central location, the size, or a delicacy or item you just won’t get anywhere else. Tongin Market (ํต์ธ์์ฅ) probably became famous due to it’s location in the high traffic area just west of Gyeongbukgung Palace, but over the years it has become popular with tourists for another reason. Tongin Market offers a fun and budget friendly place to try a plethora of Korean eats in small portion sizes perfect for tourists and locals who want a little everything when it comes to Korean cuisine. Want a unique experience in downtown Seoul? Head…
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A Landscape Revealed
At the foot of Mt. Inwang (์ธ์์ฐ์์ฑ๋๊ณ๊ณก)ย an interesting thing happened a few years ago. During demolition of the Ogin Sibeom Apartments in 2008, a scene very similar to that of the artist Gyeomjae Jeong Seon’s (1676 – 1759) in his “Eight Scenes of Jang-dong” appeared. During the rapid growth and industrialization of the area, the scene on the side of the mountain had been covered over with an apartment building in 1971 and wasn’t viewed again for more than 30 years. Upon razing theย building a stone bridge was uncovered and the city, which had bought the land back for reclamation, decided to turn the area back into the beautiful natural…
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Korean Eating: Where To Try Daegutang in Busan
Not all stews in Korea are spicy, though depending on where they are served, some may be spicier than others. Daegutang (๋๊ตฌํ), or cod fish stew, is one dish that is very different if you pop into a shop to eat some in the north versus the south. In the north, the soup comes out with a deep red broth. It’s spicy and is more akin to maeuntang (๋งค์ดํ), or spicy fish stew. In the south however, the cod is boiled and served in a broth that hasn’t had spices other than salt, pepper and garlic added. The result is a deliciously simple yet flavorful and filling dish that allows…
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The Military Invasion of Jeju Island
Most people that head to Jeju Island, known as the peace island, go with the intention of seeing the beautiful scenery from waterfalls and green tea fields to black lava sand beaches and palm tree lined lanes. Honeymooners go for romance and tourists go for scenery. With the tallest mountain in the country being the biggest draw by far for everyone from the avid hiker to the average Joe just out to get a jaunt and see some views, itโs a wonder that there hasnโt been more done to protect the island from military invasion. Though protesters in the small town of Gangjeong, meaning โVillage of Waterโ, on the southern…
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The Top 5 Myths of the Korean Husband
What is it like being married to a Korean guy? Are Korean guys good husbands? I never realized how many stereotypes about Korean husbands there were until I married a Korean guy and people somehow bring it in to conversation so easily. Admittedly, the stereotype conversation usually comes from Korean men and women who seem to be sure that the stereotypes are true and ask me how I feel about cleaning and cooking everything. Then there are the westerners who have really weird Asian stereotypes. Itโs especially odd when Korean women who are married with Korean men bring up this topic as I wouldnโt assume that their husbands are any…
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O’Sulloc Green Tea Fields: What To Do on Jeju Island
No trip to Jeju Island in South Korea would be complete without a stop at the O’Sulloc Green Tea Fields and Museum. It’s a must see spot and included on almost every Jeju itinerary that you’ll find online and popular for a good reason. The O’Sulloc Green Tea Fields and Museum (์ค์ค๋กํฐ๋ฎค์ง์) is one of those places that is almost always busy with tourists to Jeju. But for delicious reasons. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of space to roam about though. With high-quality tea coming straight from the fields of Jeju, it really is a beautiful sight and a great souvenir from Korea or gift. Plan a trip to…
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Gapa Island: Take a Trip Off The Coast Of Jeju Island
Gapa Island (๊ฐํ๋), the second southernmost point of Korea, sits just 5.5 kilometers off the coast of Jeju Island. Looking for something interesting to do in Jeju? Something a bit different to put on your Jeju Island itinerary? Take a trip to a nearby island. One of the most popular islands to visit off of Jeju Island is Udo Island. Another island that is lesser known though, is Gapa Island. There are a lot of things to do in Jeju, but island hopping and getting out on the water a bit is definitely something that should top your list. Ready to take a trip to Gapa Island? Here’s what you…
