Food!

the martkets are usually where you can find the best food, as it's cooked right in front of you and often has a quick turnover time.  That's not too different in Seoul, and the colours and smells and shapes of food laid out is wonderful.  However, a loto of the food is laid out for hours on end, pork touching mushrooms, chicken touching egg cakes, and we were a little less adventurous then usually.  This was alos due in part to the sensitive stomachs of our hosts, not to mention their extensive experience, so we most often took their advice.

 

No complaints here - it was all delicious!

 

 

 

Market food as beautiful tonight as it was originally laid out this afternoon



Kimchi galore!

Best let them order for us



The end result, 4 different and delicious Korean soups with all the condiments
that come with the average meal.  Imagine the washing up!

The samsung name....

.... is pretty well everywhere.  One of the largest companies in the world is located here,and not just connected to household products.  The Leeum Samsung Museum of Art is a modern building in Itaewon, just up the road for us, and is recommended highly from all sources.

Many museums of art, and there are others in Seoul, are filled to the brim with items that all deserve time and attention, but after awhile your head starts to swim and one painting or shard of pottery starts looking like another.  This museum is the perfect size, with pottery (for which Korea is renowned) on the top two floors, then caligraphy and painting on the lower floors, with comtemporary works and temporary exhitis on the ground level and outdoors. 

Every artifact is displayed on its own, and the path one takes is circular, ending where it begins, with the stair well reminiscent of New York's Guggenheim museum. 



classic 12th century Korean pottery shape

ingenious but damnably uncomfortable pillow

pottery within pottery

It was a wonderful way to be introduced to Korean works, especially the pottery. So many of these pieces were quite delicate, and yet over 1,000 years old.  Quite a feat given Korean society seems to be less reverant of old things (other than family members), with a tear 'em down, build 'em up attitude.

The temporary exhibit was of works by Anish Kapoor (we love his "cloudgate" in Chicago, which looks like a chrome bean) and it did not disappoint.

Even the cafe was an artpiece, with painted flowers gaily framing patrons (the custard bread was like biting into a cloud - heavenly!)

best drink of the day

Every morning (except the days that Donny and Grace have to leap off to work early), starts with a smoothie. Mango juice, a banana, yogurt, greens, nuts, berries, maple syrup - whatever is to hand.  It's breakfast in a glass!

autumn in Korea

 

The gingko leaf is a common shapein the art of Korea - pottery, painting, graphic art. But it is most beautiful on a dark tile just outside the door, a talisman of Autumn underfoot until next year.

Seoul train

The Seoul subway system is excellent.  And not just because it is efficient, clean and organized.  There are many such in the world. What makes this system unique, in my experience anyway, are the many little additional courtesies that are provided to the traveller.

It's pretty easy to arrive at any station and find out what line you need to take and what platform is correct.  And the doors that separate the platform from the tracks indicate very clearly where you need to stand to gain access to the train when it arrives.

But how long do you need to wait, and where exactly is the train now?  There is one screen that shows a little train-like object moving from station to station. That's cute. 

But what's cuter is the theme music every train station plays according to the imminent arrival of that particular train.  Sometims it's a Korean folk sont, sometime it's a trumpet voluntary.

And if you have to change from one line to the next, there is a way to advise you of the fastest way to make that transaction.  A relevant screen indicates the station/s from which the change is to be made, and a triangle with two numbers in it divided by a hyphen.  These indicate the car and the exit number that will allow the quickest change. 

And then alll you have to do it find the platform triangle with the right numbers in it.

Other intriguing things found in this subway system are the coin operated kiosks for gas masks should an attack be made.  The only real necessity for a gas mask would be gas, and what's most tacitly clear is that a gas attack would likely come from North Korea.  I suppose this sort of thing is just everyday common sense preparation here, much like a smoke detector or a fire extinguisher elsewhere, but I kind of expect that wearing a gas mask might not completely protect one.

But my favourite thing about this subway system? Easy. Some of the carriages have heated seats. Mmmmmm....

no man's land



We wanted to see something outside of Seoul, so the four of us went to the DMZ - the demilitarized zone - between North and South Korea.  It was the first real rain we'd seen, which seemed appropriately sombre for our destination.  It is almost winter here, a few brave leaves clinging onto their branches, but the overnight frosts have lessened their number every day.

Martin loved the anti-macassars on the bus

Our first stop was to Imjingak, the village that saw the first outbreak of hostilities that June day of 1950. 

The shrine with an enormous bell, called the "Bell of Peace" (I love the shape and sound of Korean bells!), is hugely symbolic for a people who truly believe the two sides will  become one again, and soon, denoted by its 21 stairs and 21 tons and thus readied to ring in the 21st century.

There is also a sad old steam locomotive pockmarked with the bullet holes and blast damage it sustained after being derailed and left discarded in this area during the hostilities.


The so-called Bridge of Freedom, which was built to free thousands of prisoners at the ceasefire in 1953, is now covered with ribbons and paper  flowers and messages, all private prayers and remembrances, especially for those who continue to have divided families across the border. 

Rather incongruous for the seriousness of the place is a comic little statue of North Korea's 'dear leader' that, of course, must be posed in front of. 

At the Dora Observatory it is possible to see sentry towers for both sides, as well as some of the almost 2 million soldiers that patrol every day.  Yes, that's what I said - two million!  One of the most intriguing and innovative ways still used to determine if someone has attempted to get past the barbed wire fences is the placement of stones in various point of the fence.  Any movement will disturb the stones and thus alert the guards.

The day we were there would have been a great day for defectors, as it was possible to see absolutely zilch through the binoculars.  Well, that's the equivalent of 50 cents I'll never see again!


is that North Korea or the Bering Staits?

The best part was tunnel No.3.  There have been four tunnels discovered running deep underground from North Korea and all directed towards Seoul.  Each one is designed to move approximately 30,000 armed North Korean soldiers through every hour.  The first tunnel was discovered in 1974, a bit by accident really. Odd to think that I was back in Canada in high school, watching the TV show MASH while the Korean confict continued! 

When confronted, the North Koreans' first reaction was denial "Tunnels?  We didn't dig any tunnels.You dug the tunnels!"

When that didn't work (except on its own people) it changed to "Oh, those tunnels! Those are coal mining tunnels." The solid granite walls had been painted black to make them look like coal, but as coal is not found in granite and the "coal dust" washed off with water, that was fairly easily refuted.

almost tall enough to walk upright through - but not quite!

Tunnel #3 is over a mile long and visited by way of a hard-hatted steep walk down to the heat of its depths, over 500 feet down, where we all stopped to look through a tiny rectangular opening at another such opening a few metres away on the North Korean side.  Then an equally steep walk back to the fresher and cooler air of the surface.  The fourth tunnel was discovered in 1990, which is not an awfully long time ago, so who knows whether or not #5+  are yet to be found?

Our final stop was Dorasan Train Station, which took 52 years to reconnect to the north-south network.  It's big and empty, with luggage carousels and clean seats and shiny turnstiles waiting for bodies to make use of them.  Two soldiers guard the track access, and the entire country waits with hope to be able to travel on it. 

When you think about it, South Korea is completely cut off from the entire world.  Reunification would connect it to China, Russia, and even Europe, the dream of everyone we've come across.

Everywhere there are statues and art pieces reflecting the DMZ and what it symbolizes.

Perhaps the most surprising tidbit of information we learned was that this 2 km stretch has seen no chemical or other pollutants, making it an area filled with wildlife, especially birds.  Several endangered animal and plant species also exist among the heavily fortified fences and landmines. Lovely to hear birdsong cutting through this dreary landscape!  Another beneficiary is the land itself, which supports a thriving organic farming industry, particularly for ginseng and ginseng products.  Some of these are wonderful, such as the ginseng tea and roasted soybeans.  Some of these are quite awful, such as the ginseng chocolates we bought, which tasted like they are made 32 years ago. Young and single people are exempted from national service as well as from taxes and other costs if they choose to live here and work on the land.  But as soon as they marry and have children they are forbidden to stay, as society would frown on bringing up children in this potentially dangerous location.

barbed wire and soy beans

The last words on our day were ones of hope.

 

chicken or pork?

The Koreans, or at least those who live in Seoul, seem very keen on cutlets.  There are photos of pork cutlets with sauce everywhere.  Martin is such a trooper - he decided it was his duty to taste them for research purposes.

Here are two photos of cutlets - one is of chicken and the other one is of pork.  Can you tell the difference (I couldn't and I tasted both)