Myeong-dong
My hotel is located right on this street
The Seoul Tower
Great city views from Namsan Park
Seoul Tower - almost up the moutain
Lock Trees - like the lock bridges in Paris
Views of Seoul from atop Namsan Mountain
Interesting character at the top
Sungnyemun Gate
Sungnyemun - you can walk through the gate
Deoksugung Palace
Looking back to Seoul Tower from downtown
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Stream Walk through the heart of downtown
I woke up this morning in Osaka, Japan --- tonight I end the day in Seoul, South Korea. We had a really early start at 5:30am. My flight to Seoul was at 9:30am, while Randy/Wendy departed for Beijing at 9am. We walked to the terminal from our connecting hotel (really convenient for us). We wished each other a couple good days - we'll reconnect on Tuesday.
My only unfortunate thing on the day happened right away. My wooden walking stick I had purchased for my Mt. Fuji hike had to get left behind. Bummed. I had been told I should be able to carry this on, but, this was not the case. I was informed that it would cost $80 to check the stick. Considering I only paid about $10 for it -- I decided to cut ties.
1hr, 30 minute flight to Seoul. Then, a 45 minute train to downtown and then a 10 minute metro ride --- arrived at the Grand Myeong-dong Hotel around 1:30pm. Great area of town -- really busy upon arrival. I dumped my gear in my room, rested for about an hour - then went out to see the sites. I decided to go for a run/walk and just get a feel for the city. I put on my running belt, carried my water bottle and camera - and went out to make it happen. I've added a summary of a few of the sites I came across today.
Cheonggyecheon Stream
3.6 mile stream that stretches throughout the heart of Seoul. Located about 15-ft below street level, it resembles the riverwalk in San Antonio. Small waterfalls line the walk. A number of overhead bridges provide access at various locations in the downtown area of Seoul.
N Seoul Tower & Namsan Park
A communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain. At 777ft - the Seoul Tower marks the highest point in Seoul. I climbed the mountain from my hotel in downtown. A very tough climb, filled with hundreds of steps to get to the top. (A cable car offers another option to visit the summit). Really interesting area at the top. Great viewing decks to get some perspective of the city below. Many folks rested on some steps while being entertained by a few singers.
Myeong-dong
This is the area of my hotel - The Grand Myeong-Dong Hotel. This particular neighborhood is known as Seoul's main shopping and tourism area. People were everywhere today. The door of my hotel opens to one of the busiest sections of the street.
Deoksugung Palace
Located right by the main City Hall in the middle of Seoul, this is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. Deoksugung is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea's royal family during the Joseon monarchy until colonial period around the turn of the 20th century
Back to the hotel around 8:30pm. A quick dinner from around the corner (while I watched some Korean baseball on TV). Tomorrow I have a few more sites to see before taking an evening flight to Beijing It will be a quick visit to Seoul -- but the endless miles I walked/ran today allowed me to get a really good grasp of this vast metropolis.
Note -- upon arriving into China, I may not be able to post any blogs for about a week. China does not support Google. Therefore, I don't think I will be able to blog, as my BlogSpot is a google based program. I'll keep records daily and will post as soon as I can.
Keep the faith - will check in very soon!
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