This is a continuation of my previous post Korea 2012: Day 3 (Hangang Park 한강공원 - Angel-in-Us Coffee - COEX Aquarium 코엑스 아쿠아리움)
We spent our entire Day 4 in Hongdae 홍대 just because there's that many things to do! (partly because we woke up slightly late as well.) Hongdae is the area surrounding Hongik University and is a bright and colourful scene for young people with shops, clubs and hipster cafes all over.
HOW TO GET THERE: Alight at Hongik University Station 홍대입구역 (Seoul Subway Line 2).
By the time we got to Hongdae, it was just about time for an early lunch. We found this restaurant by complete chance, so I unfortunately don't have any details for it. In my defence, the service wasn't too great. Food was not too bad though. This restaurant has a chicken as its mascot and is located on the second floor of a building in Hongdae.
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| Jess ordered some spicy chicken kimchi rice thing! |
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| I ordered some Chicken cutlet with curry which was absolutely yummy in my opinion. There are other awesome things to eat at Hongdae though so don't make coming to this place an absolute necessity. |
NEXT STOP: Thanks Nature Café
Since this was a café hopping trip, we checked off many cafés alone in the Hongdae area. Thanks Nature Café is no stranger to anyone out there, famous for its sheep in the city.
This café is located at the basement of a building, so if you’re not alert, you may miss the staircase. As usual, this is more of a concept café than a place with awesome coffee. Hang out with some wooly pals if you wanna come here.
HOW TO GET HERE: Alight at Hongik University Station (Seoul Subway Line 2) and take Exit 9. Turn left to go uphill at the first intersection you come to. Walk towards Hongik University’s Main Gate. Look out for a neon sign on the left that has the café name and comes with photos of the sheep attached.
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| Look at these fluffy babies! |
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| The outdoor sitting area where you can sit with the sheep. Since we were a little cold in winter, we opted to sit indoors instead. |
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| The indoor sitting area. Nice and chill-out, with lots of people studying or doing some work with a cuppa. |
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| The exterior of the shop. That stairs you see is your way into this place from the main street. |
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| You can feed these sheep with some of the sheep-food lying around there. No human food please. |
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| Why hello there! |
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| I ordered an Iced Caramel Macchiato despite the cold weather. YUMS! The actual reason is because that was the only thing I could read in Korean at the time. Their coffee could afford to be stronger though. |
My verdict? One of the most memorable cafés I've been to in Seoul. If you're in the Hongdae area and you love sheep, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you come down. If you're lucky, you get to see the owner interact with his sheep and its absolutely adorable (since he treats them like his own kids - AWWWW).
Thanks Nature Café
486 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seogyo Prugio Apartment store B121 |
마포구 서교동 486 서교푸르지오상가 B121
Telephone: +82 2-335-7470 | Opening Hours: 11am-10pm daily
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TNcafe
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We saw some pretty interesting buildings while walking around looking for the Trick-Eye Museum. I love the atmosphere in Hongdae. Its so young and vibrant.
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| How cool is this building! I think its just a restaurant though. |
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NEXT STOP: Trick Eye Museum 트릭아이미술관
This is a really famous tourist destination in Korea. Everyone comes here to take awesome photos that will make your friends look at it and go "WHAT?!?!" No kidding. Singapore even "imported" the Trick Eye Museum and incorporated it into our tourist destination island of Sentosa (just some information for you non-Singaporeans out there).
The concept of this museum is really interesting and I applaud the artistic genius who thought of it. The Trickeye Museum is an art gallery with paintings created using 'trompe l'oeil' techniques that give each 2D art piece the illusion of being in 3D. Instead of merely viewing paintings (as in a typical art gallery) visitors can interact with the paintings, posing themselves just right so that they look as if they are part of the original work. To ensure that even its busiest patrons have time to enjoy the fun, the museum stays open each day until 9PM, making it a popular date and hang-out place.
So if you are headed here, remember to bring along the camera (and extra batteries)!
HOW TO GET HERE: Alight at Hongik University Station (Seoul Subway Line 2) and take Exit 9. Go straight for about 150m, cross the road, and turn left onto Hongik-ro Street 홍긱로. Go straight for 120m, and turn right down the second side street (in between TONYMOLY and Holika Holika). Continue straight for 100m to arrive at Trickeye Museum on the right.
P.S. It will be at the corner of the building with a staircase headed down to the basement. Don't get lost looking for a huge sign and awesome display at the building. It can be rather inconspicuous.
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| Someone actually put their entrance ticket in this guy's hands. Cool effect though. |
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| There's somewhat of a cafe within the museum. People relax there after walking around the museum. |
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| 고맙슴니다! (Thank you!) P.S. See this jacket I'm wearing? It was given to me by the guesthouse owners because my leather jacket was considered too thin for me in their opinion for the winter. See they're nice! Its that 아줌마 who isn't! |
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| Oh dear David started to get chubby after standing there for so many years. |
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| I absolutely love Edward Norton's Scream and to take this photo, I was absolutely elated. |
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| Guys I found the stash! |
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| Doing part time barber work in London. |
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| While also exploring the canals of Venice. |
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| Stopped to have some afternoon tea with King Sejong. Gosh so disrespectful of me! I didn't support my right hand while pouring him tea. |
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| A different species of good looking studs. |
My verdict? This place was really fun to take photos in, and helped to create many happy memories. Don't worry about not being a great photographer as there are specific directions for where to stand to grab that perfect, eye-tricking shot. Thanks Jess for introducing this place, I had lots of fun. I recommend this place for the kids and families especially. It provides some entertainment from the shopping in Hongdae.
Trick Eye Museum 트릭아이미술관
357-1, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Seogyo Plaza B2 | 서울특별시 마포구 홍익로3길 20 (서교동)
Telephone: +82-2-3144-6300 (Korean) | Opening Hours: 9am-9pm (last admission 8pm)
Admission Fees: 15 000 won (Adults), 12 000 won (Children, Youth and Students, 18 and under)
Website: www.trickeye.com (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
That's all for this post! Thank you so much for reading.Stay tuned to the next post where we café hop all over Hongdae before calling it a night.
Please leave any comments, feedback or questions for me!
Till then,
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V
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