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The Complete Guide To Celebrating The Holidays In Seoul, Korea
In the States it seems like everyone has started putting up their holiday decorations well before even Thanksgiving has passed. Once that was taboo but these days clearly what was taboo is not anymore (you know what I’m referring to, right?). In Korea, sometimes you can be hard pressed to see any holiday decor to get into the spirit before or after Christmas. It is there, if you know where to look though! (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. These funds go to maintain the site… and if there’s any left over, to a bottle of…
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12 Fun Fall Festivals in Korea
Fall is one of those seasons that is just dazzling in South Korea, if you’re not staying indoors depressed that summer is saying goodbye for another nine months. From cultural and traditional events to foodie fun and performances, too, there is much to enjoy all around the country. Here are 11 Fun Fall Festivals in Korea to check out. While festivals might be the best way to enjoy the season, there are plenty of other things to do like find the fall foliage and eat the cinnamon hoddeoks from the street food carts. Of course, do NOT forget that there are some gorgeous flowers that bloom in the autumn and…
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See The Beauty of Seoknamsa Temple in Ulsan
Seoknamsa Temple (석남사-울산) sits on the southern side of the Gaji mountain range in Ulsan, Korea and is one of the four major Buddhist temples of the Gajisan Provincial Park. Taking a break from our mountainside camping site on Munboksan Mountain recently, we went to this beautiful Korean temple in Ulsan to see something nearby. It was easily accessible and just gorgeous. Take a trip outside of Ulsan, Korea and see what you can see! (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I will get a percentage of the transaction at no cost to you. Thanks for the support!) Basic Info Address:…
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The S(e)oul Derby: Sign Up Now!
Come for some fun. With clues in hand, teams will race to find as many locations as possible from cultural hot spots to traditional architecture and even some friendly local eateries too. The event will be a cross between scavenger hunt searches and amazing race-esque missions. How much do you know about Seoul? Come test your knowledge with some great people and if you have the stuff, you can even win some fabulous prizes. There are more than W1,000,000 in prizes! The event will kick-off near Hapjeong Station and will culminate at 3 Alley a local expat owned pub in Itaewon where we will tally the points while you sit…
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The Soul of Seoul Tours: Hanboks, Tea & Gold Recap
This past weekend, The Soul of Seoul Tours held our Hanboks, Tea & Gold event and boy was it fun, not to mention beautiful! The group started at a Hanbok rental shop at 10:00am and was dressed head, and some, to toe in traditional Korean clothing. Each person chose from a selection of brightly colored skirts and tops, changed and then had their hair done. They had the option to carry a provided purse as well so the whole outfit could be in the style of traditional Korea. After the group was dressed and good to go, we headed to Unhyeongung Palace or royal residence. The residence provided a chance…
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Scavenging For S(e)oul
Here is an event you won’t want to miss! Come for some fun. With clues in hand, teams will race to find as many locations as possible from cultural hot spots to traditional architecture and even some friendly local eateries too. They’re all in the mix. How much do you know about Seoul? Come test your knowledge with some great people and if you have the stuff, you can even win some fabulous prizes. The event will kick-off in the famous Gwanghwamun Square and will culminate at Beer O’Clock a local expat owned pizza pub in Sinchon where we will tally the points while you sit back and relax to…
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The Seoul Shakespeare Company: Titus Andronicus
For the next two weekends, The Seoul Shakespeare Company will be performing the play Titus Andronicus. Considered to be Shakespeare’s first play, Titus Andronicus weaves a tale of mystery and intrigue with love, horror, violence and racism. Those fans of Game of Thrones will find this play especially appealing. With the amount of gore and barbarity along with the different families seeking power and revenge plot after revenge plot, it’s Game of Thrones with a beginning, middle and and ending in 3 hours and 15 minutes. If you don’t know the story of Titus Andronicus, then now is a perfect time to take in a show. (This post contains affiliate links, which…
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My Top Ten Adventures of 2014!
This year was full of new adventures for me and for my husband and not all of them included travel. I used to think traveling someplace new was all an adventure could be but, this year I learned that adventures can come in all shapes and sizes and experiences. 1. New Orleans, Louisiana: For our trip home this year we didn’t exactly go home. Instead of heading to my home state of Ohio, we headed to the Big Easy with my family to celebrate some big birthdays. We enjoyed the beautiful historic buildings and homes that lined the streets of the French Quarter and filled our bellies with the very filling…
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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 recent spring and summer fun we had frolicking outside with bare feet…
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Seokguram Grotto: Seoul’s Version
Seokguram Hermitage (경주 석굴암) 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 (인왕산 석굴암), when I realized why I recognized the name it made me all the more confused as to why there…
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A Landscape Revealed
At the foot of Mt. Inwang (인왕산수성동계곡) 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 the 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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Marche@ Munchies: A Monthly Artisanal Market
This artisan market is relatively new, only starting in October of last year, but they sure have a following. Vendors selling handmade soy candles, bags, aprons and other crafts sit next to vendors selling organic treats and drinks for those food lovers out there. The Marche@ (마르쉐@) Market in the Maronnier Park in Hyewha once a month is the perfect place to spend a Sunday, especially now that the weather is nice, eating good food for lunch and meeting some really great people. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. These funds go to maintain the site.…
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Gwanghwamun Flea Market Fun
Every Sunday from March to October, traffic is blocked going southbound and tents are erected for a big flea market on the Gwanghwamun Square just in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace. From 11 o’clock in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, visitors can peruse a wide range of goods. Vendors sell everything from old clothes at bargain prices to homemade accessories, teas, candles, lotions, potted plants and seedlings and more. What’s more, every Sunday is different. There’s something for everyone and even food from around the world on sale to munch on when the midday pangs of hunger strike. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage…
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Flowers In Jongno
This past Sunday the sun was shining, parka weather said goodbye and a warm breeze was blowing so naturally I couldn’t help but head out for a walk. I headed to Jongno to see what was going on and for the most part I found a lot of people planning their gardens and purchasing seeds, plants and fertilizers, which got me oh so excited for my rooftop garden. I haven’t tilled the dirt that the owners before us left up there just yet so I’m not quite ready for the seeds, so instead I enjoyed the scene and purchased some succulents for inside the abode. While I was out I…
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Underground Art & Music with Crazy Multiply!
The Crazy Multiply Art Collective had yet another fantastic show bringing together artists and musicians under one basement roof in the Hongdae area this past weekend under the title of 쪽, “Jjok”. This show focused on line and direction and if the title of the show is confusing, just say what you normally say to your taxi drivers in your head a few times and you’ll figure out where the “jjok” is coming from. The show was not only quite successful, they brought in 175 people continuing to improve on their numbers with every show, but it was also a “goodbye” and “we’ll see you later” as two of the…
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Bitter, Sweet, Seoul
If you have an hour to spare and I hope you do, this is what you should watch today. Culling together clips from over 11,000 videos submitted, directors Park Chan Wook and Park Chan Kyong, known together as PARKing CHANce, made this movie using 141 clips from Korean and international submissions to represent Seoul and I think they did an amazing job. It’s not just the pretty view of the city or even the pretty people of the city, it’s real life and real moments with black and white clips of historical moments in Korea from archives to today. There are the kind people we meet on the streets and…