Mom & Dad Visit Korea (Part 6)

Wednesday of my parents' visit was a really full day. We started out by going to the Korean Rodeo Drive. Except for stopping to take a couple of pictures, we didn't do anything there but walk around. I was expecting to see really expensive looking buildings filled with expensive looking goods. The streets and shops looked very much like any other streets and shops in Korea.



After Rodeo Drive, we went to Insadong. Insadong is famous for being the art district in Seoul. There are a lot of art supply shops, antique shops, and traditional Korean craft shops. The walking sreet is usually packed with people all year round.


My mom found some beautiful jewelry at this store. She bought a necklace with wild Korean flowers embedded in it. She bought matching earings, of course.


There are strict rules for signage in Insadong. This sign is the word 'Starbucks' written in Korean to help keep Insadong's Korean traditional appeal.


After Insadong, we went to the Dongdaemun night market. The shops open after 6pm and don't close until 3am. The area consists of a bunch of buildings packed with merchandise. Outdoors, the sidewalks are filled with people shopping along the streets and enjoying the performances that take place on stages built along the buildings.



After Dongdaemun market, we went to Namsan Tower in Itaewon. This tower sits atop a big hill that allows one to see all of Seoul. We went at night, but I think it would have been better to go a little while before sunset. It would have been nice to see Seoul in daylight as well as at night.


There was a 'junk art' exhibit going on at the tower. I took a photo of mom and dad next to a pig sculpture and another of mom next to a bench sculpture.



This was an eventful day for sure. I was tired and a little worried that I would not have the energy to enjoy the next days visit to the DMZ. However, the DMZ turned out to be quite an intense experience and I did not have a problem keeping my energy up. My next post about this visit will be about the DMZ.