A Seoul Sampler

Cami with her churro.  Dad agrees that it is "better than a boyfriend"

Today was a gorgeous spring day full of sun and warmth.  After leaving the Hanok, Mr. Nam took us on an alley tour through Bookchon.  We stopped to shop at a few places along the way enjoying chocolate and churros. Our walk took us near the prime minister's residence and then we walked up the hill to the Blue House, the president's residence.  As we were taking pictures in front of the Blue House, a large group of Chinese tourists decided that Dana and I were tourist attractions and wanted their picture taken with us.  It was an odd experience as dozens of people crowded around to get their picture taken with me.  The kids thought it was strange.  From there, we walked through the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace where Alex got his picture taken with some young women wearing traditional Korean clothing called Hanboks.  The kids made a traditional Korean flute and watched some robots perform dance moves.

A view of the Blue House

Alex with women in haboks

Ian drew the palace building in the sand.

Ben, Alex, Cami and Ian looking at the pool in Gyeongbokgung Palace

Lunch

Then we transferred over to the Myeong-dong shopping district where we visited the church where Mr. and Mrs. Nam were married in 2000.  As we were walking, Mr. Nam noticed a stand selling a baked item similar to a doughnut.  Apparently, they only sell these three times a day and only until their selection is sold out so we were lucky to have been there at the right time.  From there we ate soup and dumplings at a favorite restaurant of Mr. Nam's when he used to live closer to this area.  We then walked through the busy streets looking at the street vendor and grabbing a Potato Tornado snack before stopping for a sampling of gelato with exotic flavors like kiwi-pear and Jeju mandarin.  We definitely ate our way through the day!

The church where Mr. and Mrs. Nam were married

At the church where Mr. and Mrs. Nam were married

Hot baked item similar to a doughnut

Potato Tornado - deep fried potatoes on a stick! 

Alex can't wait to eat gelato

Our last meal together

The 63 building as viewed from the Han River

Next up was a trip to Yeouido island, an area that Mr. Nam compared to Manhattan since it is a financial center on an island.  This is where Mr. Nam works and he drove us past his office building. There is a beautiful park on the shores of the Han River and we walked down to the river and took a ride in the pedal powered swan boats. From there, we went to the restaurant Ashley and enjoyed the expansive buffet.

The parliament building on Yeouido island

Heading back to Goyang to get our luggage

With full stomachs, we headed back to Mr. Nam's apartment to collect our luggage and go to our airport hotel for a quick night of sleep before heading to China.  Our time in Korea was quickly coming to an end.  It was a trip filled with wonderful memories and we are so thankful to the Nam family for providing such a wonderful experience.