seoul adventures

I'm back! After a two-week long vacation I'm finally back and blogging again. In those two weeks I traveled to Seoul, South Korea and Thailand and had an absolute blast! Thailand is definitely a unique and fun place, but I have to say, Seoul totally stole the show. I had no idea how much I would like Seoul, no actually, love Seoul. I really loved it. From the historic culture, to the different districts/neighborhoods/dongs, to the amazing food, it was all great. Each neighborhood had a unique feel, totally different from the next. Some were modern and trendy, others historic and traditional, and some just plain lively full of shopping or nightlife. I have to add, Korea probably has the most coffee shops I've ever seen, too many to try in one visit, or two, or three. Heck, you could spend a few years checking out the coffee scene it's that saturated. The thing about it though is that each cafe has a different vibe, which in my opinion makes it that much harder to choose where to have your cup of joe-- either that or be wired the whole entire day/night.

The closest city I've been to that I can compare Seoul with would be Japan (and even then they are vastly different cities), which I absolutely loved as well. Seoul is a place I would definitely return to, and highly recommend anyone visiting, but for now hopefully you can enjoy it through some of my photos (and I can reminisce). Stay tuned for my take on Thailand!

Guards before entering the Grand Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace in the background

Seafood soybean paste soup

Bukchon Hanok village

Roaming the streets of the hanok village

Super good banchan at every restaurant and so much variety

Many trucks selling stuff from food to clothes, to everyday necessities/goods

Hoddeok, a common street food treat

Flowers on the street in Insadong

More street food snacks

Warm, crispy, chewy grilled squid and octopus

Myeongdong shopping at night

Good eats everywhere, this one is an inventive fish katsu roll

Oreo bingsoo-- the smoothest, softest ice shavings I've ever had (even compared to Hawaii!) 

Plastic surgery advertisements in the subway station, on the metro. This one in Sinsa Station, Gangnam.

Hanging out in Hongdae

Anchovy based soup noodle for breakfast, why not?

Heading to the fish market

Constant hustle and bustle at the fish market

All sorts of seafood

Cheonggyecheon at night

More hoddeok, my favorite

Cool coffee shop

Awesome decor

Coffee is pricey in Korea (compared to the US at least), average price is $5 for an Americano-- an Americano!