Well, today was Valentines day and I had a date with Monica who lives in Seoul. I got up early Saturday morning and took a 3 hour bus to Seoul arriving around 11AM. There are several bus stations and maybe a hundred subway stops so meeting up was a little complicated since I don't know Seoul very well. Anyway, by about noon we met up and decided to first eat lunch since neither of us had eaten anything all day. We found a Japanese place in Gangnam where we had some udon noodles, tonkatsu, and a little sushi.
We then took the subway to Insa-dong which has many of the traditional crafts for sale. I was expecting a really cheesy tourist facade but actually found it quite nice. They did have some non-traditional stuff like a pair of polished stones with strong magnets in them that when they are throw in the air come together and vibrate making a sound like a 매미, a cicada or buzzing locust. We walked briefly through and art hall displaying some more modern Korean art with the artists there to answer questions. One of the interesting pieces was carved out of the surface of a slick marble plate at sharp angles and painted to look like buildings amongst mountains and waves.
After that we found a nice tea and coffee shop with a more traditional feel and selection. Monica had brought along a small cake for us to share since it was Valentines day. Since there was more than enough for the two of us, she suggested we share with a group of three ladies sitting near us, so we asked one of the waitresses for a plate and three small forks for them. I was the one to take it over and I explained that we had a cake and had more than enough and we would like to share if that's ok. They were all smiles and I think a little shocked I speak Korean well. The pictures below are from the tea house.
Having eaten, talked, and taken a picture together we left for Dongdaemun shopping area. I wanted to just look at the t shirts and anything else interesting. I took us a little while to catch the bus bus eventually we got over there. It was getting towards evening by then and along the way we got some grilled chicken on a stick, 닭꼬치 which tasted unbelievable. The shopping area was fabulous, if they had anything in my size I would go every day.
We had planned on going to the latin dance club later to practice some salsa, but I was feeling a bit tired and we couldn't seem to find a bus going in that direction so instead we went back to Gangnam and sat down for some Korean alcohol and conversation away from the cold air outside. We ate a little and talked for several hours before we finally left for the bus stop so Monica could catch a bus home. I told her my plan to take the subway to the bus station and see if I could get a bus home tonight and if not I would find a motel in the area and go home in the morning. We said goodbye but she later called to make sure I made it alright. I was able to catch a bus leaving at 11:40 for Jeonju and I arrived back at my apartment by 2:30AM.
Overall it was a wonderful day, although I am very tired. Monica was such a pleasure to spend the day with. I plan on going back to Seoul to see her again when I can.
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