Seoul 2014: Day 5 (Gwangjang Market 광장시장)

Hey guys! Sorry it has been a while since the last post. I've just been so tired after work that I sleep at almost 10pm everyday and I have had some catch-ups with friends and the bf on the weekends.

Click here to check out my previous post where I roamed the vast grounds of the Seoul Olympic Park that the twins from the Return of Superman visited with their daddy on Day 4 of my trip:
http://vanvanscully.blogspot.sg/2015/01/seoul-2014-day-4-olympic-park.html
Click here to check out my night roaming adventures in Myeongdong on Day 6 of my trip:
http://vanvanscully.blogspot.sg/2015/03/seoul-2014-day-6-night-roaming-in.html

This will be a short post, because all I did on Day 5 was to head over to Gwangjang Market 광장시장.

Gwangjang Market is the nation’s first market and continues to thrive as a popular tourist destination today. The second floor of the market provides all of your silk, satin, and linen bed-sheet stores, which are the largest and most famous in Seoul. Many of the stores in the area even have their own factories supplying fabrics to the Namdaemun Market, Pyoung Hwa Market, and even to some department stores. Even though the goods are not brand-name products, the wide selection of high quality goods at inexpensive prices makes it an enjoyable shopping experience. There are even stalls where you can make hanboks!

On the first floor, it is filled with small food stalls selling famous food items such as: Drug Kimbap 마약김밥, Sundae (pronounced Soondae) 순대, Bindaetteok (which is essentially a mung bean pancake) 빈대떡 and Tteokbokki (spicy rice cake - a famous street food in Korea) 떡볶이.

Honestly speaking, all the stalls sell almost the exact same thing. So it is your choice which stall you would like to patronise. Would you rather sit comfortably and not too close to someone, or try out the food at a stall that is packed full of people and squeeze comfortably on long wooden stools?

These were one of the largest sundaes I have ever seen. Incredibly ginormous. I would say they were as thick as a snake's body, and I ain't talking bout no skinny snake.

Look at how huge that Sundae is! All the food is displayed as such, and you sit right at the stall and feast on these goodies. Think of it like eating at a street food bar? Although it is a little "cosy"!

The Ahjumma 아줌마 whose stall these delicious morsels are from.

Drug Kimbap 마약김밥 doesn't literally have drugs in it. They have the basic spinach, carrot slices and yellow pickle. They are just so addictive that they are likened to drugs. Its true though. After eating this kimbap, I've had cravings for Kimbao on a daily basis ever since, even up till this day.

Walking around. This is what a stall around here generally looks like. Most tourists steer away from stalls that are completely empty because it probably signifies that there is better food elsewhere. But... if you are feeling adventurous, why not?

Bindaetteok 빈대떡 which is one of the representative dishes in Gwangjang Market.

My verdict? Worth a try especially if you are in the vicinity and looking for some street food. I highly recommend the Drug Kimbap even if it is from an ahjumma rolling it from a chair with the lack of a stall. It is SO GOOD. The Sundaes were a little too much (even for me) because of their size. Try asking for some tteokbokki sauce to cover the taste if it is too much for you. The stall you patronise will usually provide some "service" like some free soup in the cold winter!

Gwangjang Market 광장시장
88, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울특별시 종로구 창경궁로 88 (예지동)
Operating Hours: 0830 - 1800 (General Stores)
                                0830 - 2300 (Restaurants)
                                2100 - 1000 (Clothing Stores - overnight till morning)
How to Get Here: Alight at Jongno 5-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 1) and takeExit 8.
                                OR Alight at Euljiro 4-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 2 & 5) and take Exit 4.

Till the next post,

Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V

Seoul 2014: Day 4 (Olympic Park 올림픽공원)

Hey guys! I apologise about how slow this series is going, I've just been so busy with work and catching up with friends that I haven't had much time to push on with the series.

Anyways, delays aside... let's move on with the next post!

How many of you out there reading this watch The Return of Superman 슈퍼맨이 돌아왔다?



This show is amazingly cute with all the adorable babies - Sarang; Haru; Seoeon and Seojun; and the triplets Daehan, Minguk and Manse. The world has been captivated by their cute charms and this show is now becoming an international hit. In this show, dads spend 48 hours alone with their kids and mum is made to leave, to allow father and children some bonding time and to get closer. If you're interested, check out the show on YouTube. Here's the link to the series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMf7VY8La5RFIeOyIZ5IOm68WVb7c2dyT

(Don't worry there are English Subs available!)


Now for those of you who watch the series... how many of you remember the episode where Lee Hwijae 이휘재 brought his twins 서언,서준 to the Olympic Park 올림픽공원?

 

This was such a cute episode! The park also looked so beautiful so I made this one of my must-go places this trip so that I could enjoy some alone time at the end of autumn.

I took a rather long subway trip down to the Olympic Park 올림픽공원 (about an hour long), making one transfer, but my excitement helped to overcome the fatigue from climbing up and down stairs.

From Hoehyeon Station 회현역 (which is on Line 4 of the Seoul Subway), I made my way to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station 동대문역사문화공원역 to transfer to Line 5. From Line 5 I took the subway heading towards Olympic Park Station 올림픽공원역. Be cautious of which train you are taking - Line 5 splits into 2 at Gangdong Station so ensure your train is headed towards Ogeum and Macheon, then alight at Olympic Park Station 올림픽공원역. Take Exit 3 and you will arrive at the Olympic Park 올림픽공원.

Looking at the map, I decided to walk one round around the park to arrive at the Lonely Tree 나무한그루!

The Olympic Park is filled with statues, structures and artworks in its wide, open spaces.

Colours of Autumn

Not just exclusive to Korea - but I find it so adorable when people take time to knit for the trees and the colours look so pretty all lined up in a row.

Bicycles and large family cycling vehicles for rent (the latter was used by Lee Hwijae and his sons)

The photo of this arch is one of my favourite shots captured this trip.

Big Foot

Focus at Infinity

Shallow Depth-of-Field

Flags of Various Nations

손에손 잡고~ (Hand in Hand~)

I waited a whole 5 minutes for this pigeon to finish his stroll and get out of my shot!

And he still refused.... T.T

The Olympic Flame!

So breathtakingly beautiful =)

Played around with some photo editing for this shot.

Rabbits spotted! (As Lee Hwijae and his twins saw)! These bunnies were chilling on the dirt floor.

Yes that is the Lonely Tree 나무한그루 - but this was almost as close as I could get to it because of the fertilisation works going on which you can see on the right side of my photo. A little disappointing since this was one of the main highlights of my trip. It would have been nice to be able to sit there and watch the world go by.

Chilling out in Autumn - complete with scarves!

Spot the little bunny in the photo!
토끼 어디지?

Duckies in the Autumn cold. 오리다!

My verdict? If you're on a leisurely trip to Seoul, I highly recommend coming to this place. I basked in the glory of autumn as nature turned to a beautiful shade of orange and red. The Olympic Park 올림픽공원 was tranquil and a pleasant place to be. I would have spent more time there if I could get up close to the Lonely Tree but may be you'll be luckier than I was on my trip.

Olympic Park (올림픽공원)
426, Ollimpik-ro, Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul-si 88| 서울특별시 송파구 올림픽로 426 (방이동)
Opening Hours: 5am - 10pm | Website: olympicpark.co.kr/ (Available in English and Korean)
How to Get Here: Alight at Olympic Park Station (Subway Line 5), Exit 3  or
                                                Mongchontoseong Station (Subway Line 8), Exit 1 .

Gamjatang Dinner =)

Till then, sending you all my love!

Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V