So we went to lunch at a place called Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup. The chicken soup, I'm told, was awesome. We were basically 2 groups of 3, each group ordering what looked good. So one group got the soup and the fried chicken. Our group got fried chicken and kimchi pancakes. And also kimchi... and there was also chili garlic... literally garlic cloves with chili sauce on them. They were SOOO good!! Also, yeah, the fried chicken is awesome!!!
The menu wasn't extensive, and like all Korean establishments, the food was meant to be shared. Interesting to see people share soup, not gonna lie.
Pretty outdoor area, which we did not sit at because it was all rainy and stuffs. It was clearing up by the time we left.
What was left of the fried chicken after we all ate. It was soooo good!!! I'm not sure exactly what it is, but the chicken is never dry, the breading isn't too much. Like you know in the states how you sometimes get wings or chicken and it's mostly breading? That's not the case here - the breading is quite thin. It's just really, really good!
So after this, M left us to wander Seoul. The rest of us met up with T, and the other ladies went to rent traditional Korean hanboks. They looked great (as you will see). I did not rent a hanbok because I was pretty happy to be wearing the dress that I was wearing. I know that I need to lose a bit around the middle for the dress to look good without the jacket (and to be photographed from the waist down), but I love the asymmetry of the skirt, and the cowl neck can be a hood! I think I also remember what a pain in the butt a hoop skirt can be (from a school performance) and didn't want to deal. Based on how the hanbok is shaped, it would probably look pretty good (empire waists are flattering on me).
So here is what the hanboks look like outside the rental place. You can choose the skirt and top colors that you want.
J went with a beautiful pale pink.
All the ladies chose well. T has the pretty purple skirt, D went full on yellow (like a Korean Belle from Beauty and the Beast), and A went kind of Snow White meets Mulan.
Look how pretty she looks!!
The day was a quest for the best pic/video of the spin.
And me... with little buddy on my back :) The backpack from Ana, the coat from Jess - I love my TX peeps. I also love the shape of my face here... no more Charlie Brown face for me!! Hehehe.
The village - it was Bukchon Hanok village, and yes, people live in these houses. So we had to be quiet... I wish I could have seen the inside of the houses!! The walls were pretty and I love the architecture of the roofs. It was fun to see these traditional houses with modern code-locks.
Small tree!!
It was really pretty, and so much walking! As you can see from the small people above, we were not the only ones in hanboks taking pictures. The men looked quite... fun... in their hats!
My artistic 'Spring is here' shot... hehe... I do love taking pictures.
I was wondering about the turquoise on this one.
So cool to see the traditional next to the modern, with the classic cherry blossoms.
Traditional with the Seoul skyline in the back... probably would have been a better pic (more contrast) on a more clear day... the clouds were still breaking up.
I wish I could have seen the other side of this wall!!!
Another view of the traditional and the modern, with one of the mountains in the background.
Artsy flower and wall shot.
I call this one, the quest of the selfie. Some may say this is a commentary on our generation, but frankly EVERYONE looks like this. We all looked so good, and it was so fun - why wouldn't we take selfies?!
So here's the pic of me... look at that skirt!!! Yep, selfied.
This was what was across the street. We were waiting for the bus at this point because we were going to go home... then I mentioned something about going to Itaewon Foreign Bookstore as a joke... next thing I knew, we were going to Itaewon to have dinner at Vatos!
My favorite of their frozen margaritas... the guava and the XX Amber work so well together!! Ah, and I just remembered the name - Zonarosa. If you find yourself in the Itaewon area of Seoul and you are craving some good drinks, relaxed atmos, and good food - go here.
I did try the signature as well... so much better than the classic, the waitress was right. I also had their roasted veggie quesadilla!!
J and D looked so cute, I had to take a pic. The guys behind them were English, and T really enjoyed catching bits of their convo, as it made her feel at home.
J, D, T, and A on the metro going to Seoul Station to catch the bus home to Dongtan. I love that everyone seemed to match (even the random dude in the background, though his yellow is a bit more grubby). A and I even matched with our black leggings and boots.
What was across the street at the bus stop... it was so Monte Python that I had to take a picture of it!!
So that's all of our last Sunday in Seoul. As I said, it was a long day that started with confession and Mass and ended with margaritas and a bus trip back to Dongtan. J and I have talked about going back for more English masses, but this time we'll probably just get up early and take the bus in. The hostel wasn't nice enough for us to really want to go back, and frankly we didn't do much in Seoul the night before anyway. This weekend I plan to go to Seoul and actually go to Itaewon Foreign Bookstore to see what kinds of books I can find. (Grandma has given me the name of one that I'd like to read.) Then we're going to meet up with some other people and go to a park on the Han river. We plan to eat chicken and have some drinks. Then on Sunday J and I will go to Mass in the AM in Dongtan and then we're having a potluck Easter celebration at T's place. So stay tuned for updates from that. Also, we have a 3 day weekend coming up in May and I have officially booked a trip to Jeju island that weekend. A and D are going too, not sure if J and M are. T is going elsewhere that weekend. So life continues - work is work. I do miss being able to just randomly call and text my people back home. I felt really 'sister-sick' yesterday. It comes and goes. I do feel like this is where I need to be right now - gotta figure out what's next and get international experience at the same time!
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