A & A's Adventures: Seoul Sisters

Alisha & Holli at Gyeongbok Palace

Over Thanksgiving Break Alisha and I went to Seoul, Korea to visit my two sisters-Charlotte & Holli.
Seoul is such a beautiful city that is surrounded by mountains. The transportation is super cheap so getting around is a breeze. The weather was perfect and we didn't have to wear a coat most days. We really enjoyed seeing my sisters' schools, apartments, neighborhoods and meeting their friends. Charlotte lives in Itaewon which is the International part of Seoul so we ended up meeting quite a few different people from all around the world. Holli lives in at tiny apartment the size of our dining room and all she has to cook on is a hot plate. Her neighborhood is a traditional Korean one with really cool night markets up and down the streets. I am not a fish fan so I found most of the food on display to be scary and smelly. I'm not really a fan of any Korean food, but I do have to say that the Kimchee over there is delicious.

Fried Foods Cart

Yummy Gelato

Holli's neighborhood night market

Fish for Sale. Gross!

During our 8 days there, we saw lots of sights, met fun people and attempted to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal in a Korean kitchen. We took in the historical and cultural attractions on the city bus that provided english descriptions of each place . Nothing opens in Seoul till 10 am at the earliest and because of the time difference we were waking up at about 6 am and wanted to start our day. One day we headed out on the subway to Seoul Land Zoo. It was a beautiful place but Zoo itself left a lot to be desired. We were the only people there besides a couple eldery men and women who were there to exercise. I like to refer to them as the Zoo walkers, much like our Mall walkers.

Alisha's best friends at Seoul Zoo

We also did quite a bit of shopping. Seoul has some really great markets, including the Dongdaemun Fabric Market and the Namdaemun Market where Charlotte showed us her amazing Flower shop where two dozen gerbera daisies were about $5. I tried some pumpkin soup at a little food stall. It was good but I would call it pumpkin porridge as they put tiny pieces of rice in it. We stopped in at the eyeglass shop and I got a new pair of glasses for $45 and only had to wait 20 minutes for them to make them . Harry Potter kids frames were the only ones that would fit. I love them! After making our way through most of the insane fabric maze, they call Dongdaemun market, I bought some really cute fabrics for these sewing projects I had in mind. I must have forgotten that I don't know how to sew. Ooops! In Itaewon, Alisha got a great deal on a snowboarding coat and pants which will come in handy on our upcoming ski trip. Oh we also visited the Tailor down the street from Charlotte's house so I ended up getting my pants hemmed for $1.80. Can you believe that?? It's about $15 here. I wish I had brought all my pants with me.

Charlotte & Alisha at Namdaemun Market

Flower Market

Cute Buddha

We went to a birthday party that ended with both Holli falling flat on her face and Alisha rolling down a slope with her pants at her ankles in the street. Why you ask? Soju is to blame.

Birthday Party

Somewhere along the way we picked up a visitors guide type of magazine that kept advertising this play called Nanta. I remember hearing about 5 years prior when I visited Seoul with Charlotte. It sounded like it would be similar to stomp but they would use items in the kitchen instead. Everyone thought it would be a good cultural event to check out. We were wrong. We couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous and cheesy it was and I was very happy when it was over.

Seoul is such a beautiful city that is surrounded by mountains. The transportation is super cheap so getting around is a breeze. The weather was perfect and we didn't have to wear a coat most days. It was a great trip that was far too short. We can't wait for our next international trip!