Took Myself Out Today

One the crappy things about living through a pandemic is the feeling of risk when I leave my apartment.  Logically I know that the chances of catching the bug are slim.  Also, I'm smart - I wash my hands, wear my mask, stay away from people as much as is possible, and avoid places that are confirmed 'hot spots.'  That being said, all it takes is a confirmed case somewhere that I was and next thing you know I'm 'patient X.'  Then all kinds of things are set in motion - closing the academy, disinfecting everything, quarantine for me, tests for everyone I've come into contact with... you get the idea.  So this week I was wrestling with the idea of another weekend alone in my apt or taking the risk and going to Seoul Forest.  I'd been wanting to get out and about a bit (more than just to a grocery store) and I figured, well, at a certain point mental health is just as important as physical health and I was starting to get what can only be termed "brain sniffles."  I felt ok, but I needed to get OUT for a bit.  So I took the risk. 

I got up this AM around 11, got a coffee from the shop next to my apt, and headed into Seoul.  It wasn't hard to find Seoul Forest (there is a subway stop).  What followed was a great couple of hours of wandering, taking pix, and imagining how busy it would be without all the tapes and stuff and social-distancing precautions.

At some point in my adventures, I got 'Golden Afternoon' from Disney's Alice in Wonderland stuck in my head.  And as I'm wearing my 'Looking for Wonderland' tank top, I found it massively appropriate.  So beware of Alice references in this post.  You've been warned.

I was so proud of myself for finding it - again, not hard, but there is still a sense of accomplishment when I am successful at reaching my destination.

 So the first thing I found were these lovely lilies, which you should know are my favorite flower.

 Unfortunately, the camera on my phone didn't always want to focus.

 The garden reminded me of my grandparent's back yard and made me think they would have appreciated this.

 Just the pick-me up I needed.

 Such beautiful varieties.

This is probably my favorite of the pix I got... they just finished watering them.

 Even with the cars and the ever-present sounds of the city, it was fairly tranquil here.

 I love weeping willow trees.

 Such a perfect picture spot... planned, I'm sure.

 I love the 'hidden' path.

 Seriously, so pretty.

 Lest we forget, this is in Seoul.

 I don't know what these are, but I love them.

 Purple and green go so well together.

 Another 'hidden' path.  The picture turned out better than I thought it would.

 It was SO MELTY AND HUMID!  I should have worn yoga pants, not jeans. 

 Map of the park.

 Fun with flowers.

 Huge field of them.

 No clue what this bush is, but it's pretty.

 Interesting sculpture that kids can actually climb into (when the tape isn't there).

 I like this pic... it's peaceful but you can see buildings in the background.  Probably an older part of Seoul - less sky scrapers.

 Took off the mask for the pic... and put it right back on after, don't worry. 

 I just love the planning that goes into parks.

 I don't know what these are, but I like them.

 I went to the 'Hill of Wind' - and there was no wind.  Also, the waterside cafeteria was closed due to Corona, as was the Children's woodland playground.  I know I watch a LOT of British comedy because all I could think was that hill is the designated place to go if you feel the need to 'break wind.'  LOL - probably a good thing J wasn't with me on this trip.

 Caught the King of Seoul Forest leaving his house.  Undoubtedly to hunt.  :)

 I like when trees do this.

 Found the deer.  You are no longer allowed to feed them... but they don't seem to have suffered from this. 

 Anyone else thinking... dinner?

Some signs just don't really need to be translated... I'm thinking this means that the snakes and the bees/stingy insects are known to gang up and chase people into trees and/or other traps where head injuries are common.  So beware the snakes and stingy insects!!

 Then I took a path that looked interesting and came upon this tunnel.  Which I OF COURSE had to follow because - HELLO!  I mean it's not totally a rabbit hole, but it will suffice.

 Not scary, but definitely echo-y.

Still looking for Wonderland... after I learned a lot of things from the flowers... in the month of June.

 Found the Han River at the end of the tunnel.

 I like that there are parks, bike, and walking paths on both sides of the Han River.

 Seoul.

 More Seoul.

 I like how the bridge kinda frames the city.  This path will take you back to the tunnel, which I did not take again because... you know I don't like to go where I've already been.

 Flowers along the bike path.

 There was some kind of marathon or something - most of the walkers had numbers on their backs.

 A nice little area to enjoy the breeze off the river.

Waterskiing on the Han.

 Obligatory selfies.  It wasn't a showing-the-teeth kind of day.

 Took the elevator up and took these pix.  That's right, I wasn't about to take all those STAIRS!  Something twinged in my left ankle and it's currently swollen as heck... so I officially no longer just have a good knee and a bad knee... I now have a good leg and a bad leg.  Sigh... stupid getting older.

 Pretty views, tho.

 I found the museum I was looking for... and it was closed, of course.

 However, I want to go back because... it a museum of water works just seems interesting.

 The metro station even has greenery.  I thought it was funny.  I had just missed the train when I came down, so I waited for like 5 mins for the next one.  I do like when public trans is reliable.

 So I've seen this place 3 times.  First time was when H and I went to find the library in the Starplex mall.  Second was on New Year's Eve when we went to find the bathrooms before we saw the fireworks to ring in the New Year (we were so full of hope then... but I digress), and today.  Since M(C) wasn't with me (we have a PF Chang's date, if ever we can both be bothered to go to Seoul on a weekend), I decided to finally try a brew or 2 at Devil's Door.

 Their menu - I ended up just getting the burger.

 At 3pm on a Saturday it is easy to maintain social distancing guidelines.

 Their dark beer.  A good brew, I enjoyed immensely, and ended up having 2.

They literally branded my burger... just in case I'd forgotten where I was?!  I've never been able to taste the grease in the fries as much as I did today (and I think they add garlic or something to it) and the burger was normal except they put marinara sauce on the bottom bun.  It was surprising, but somehow worked... it was a good late lunch/early dinner.

So from there I caught the metro back to Gangnam and the bus back to Dongtan.  First thing I did when I came home?  Changed into yoga pants.  Then I drank 2 big glasses of water.  I also munched on some stuff.  I mean, burger and fries is great, but I was still a little munchy.  If I hike around Dongtan Hill tomorrow, I will be taking my water bottle bag thingy I got in Taiwan.  It was a slight oversight on my part, but finding a convenience store in Korea is never hard, and they had 1+1 bottles of water (buy one, get one in the US), and plenty of bottle recycling receptacles.  Still, water and some stretching is never a bad idea after being out and about for most of the day.  Now I think I'll watch some versions of Alice and enjoy the A/C because 82 degrees and lots of humidity makes for a MELTY day.

I'll let you know if I decide to do any more hiking tomorrow... update on the Namhae trip - it's been postponed until July.  Corona again.  Let's see if July is a better month for travel.  Sigh... stupid 'rona.