The Jongno-gu Review

If there's one thing I know for sure I will miss about South Korea it's the area known as Jongno-gu. I wish I could pick the whole area up and take it with me. The cafes, the shops, the quaint little streets and laneways.... it's just gorgeous! 

Luke and I have spent a fair few Saturday afternoons in the cafes of Jongno-gu (we can't bring it with us so we might as well visit it as often as we can while we're here!) so I now present to you, the Jongno-gu review.

We first stumbled across the charms of Jongno-gu on a rainy and cold afternoon while on an epic hunt for Indian restaurants. We had a rough idea of where we were going but at that point we didn't really mind because the streets were just so pretty (and we weren't too hungry yet). 

We actually did find an Indian restaurant very near where these photos were taken but we very foolishly opted for continuing our search for a bit longer. We wound up hiking around interminably in the rain, (and I discovered that my boots leaked) and although we did get our Indian food it was rather ordinary and not worth the trouble it caused us! (We have since had great success in finding good Indian food so we're not feeling too hard done by).

Anyway, back to the delightful Jongno! Since that first rainy afternoon Jongno has become a regular weekend haunt for us, some of our favourite cafes include: Cafe de Coin, which mixes a zany collection of decor styles and somehow makes it work. It features vintage tables and chairs, pretty floral plates and cups combined with modern art works and an oriental water feature. It's not cheap but they make a great chai latte and their chocolate cake is superb!

The modern entrance of Cafe de Coin

The water feature

Coin was a hit with Mum and Dad when they visited in September.

Another of our favourite spots in Jongno-gu is The Book Cafe which, as the name suggests is a great spot to read a book while you have a coffee. It's quiet and even has a vast collection of books for patrons to browse through while they are there (sadly, they're all in Korean so we tend to bring our own!).

Along with the fantastic array of cafes, Jongno also offers a wide selection of restaurants for those who want to be seen in all the fashionable places (and for those who want to eat some really nice food!) One such restaurant is Felice Gatto, where Luke and I ate with some friends for my birthday. The lighting created a lovely atmosphere and the food certainly matched the pleasantness of the decor so all in all it was a charming place to dine, especially for a special occasion!

Luke and I outside Felice Gatto.

Well, that's all from the Jongno-gu files for now. I have no doubt I will be showing you around more of the area in the near future.... there are plenty more places we plan on trying before our time here is up so I'll make sure I take the camera along when we do! 

Lucy

Walking in an Autumn Wonderland

It has been a delight to witness the changing of the seasons this year in Korea. From the stark landscapes we saw when we first arrived, to the vibrance of spring and lately, the glorious colours of autumn. The shimmering heat and stifling humidity of summer I could have done without but nothing beats the relief of autumn after a long hot spell. 

On November 8th Luke and I were lucky enough to pay a visit to The Secret Garden which is located within the vast grounds of Changdeokgung ('gung' is Korean for palace). We had to book well in advance in order to get ourselves on a tour of the garden in November, the most popular month to visit the garden. Well, I can certainly understand why November is the most popular month to see the garden, it was spectacular. The colours of the leaves were simply breathtaking and there were just so many of them! 

We took so many photos on our wonderful walk in the garden and while no picture could ever really do those stunning colours justice, these give you some idea of what we were fortunate enough to see.

If you ever find yourself travelling through Asia in November I would not hesitate to recommend a visit to The Secret Garden in Seoul. It has been a highlight for me this year and I've got a feeling it will be something I'll remember for a long time to come. 

So, autumn has been wonderful but now the leaves are rapidly falling and there is a real chill in the air. We walked Dusty this afternoon in sleet (not much but enough to make things very cold) and a puddle in our street was frozen this morning on the way to school. Winter is coming whether we're ready or not and I welcome it with open arms! I love getting cozy in winter with hot chocolates and fuzzy slippers and all the other things that go along with rugging up and staying warm. But let's just wait and see how enthusiastic I am about the cold once I've experienced winter in the northern hemisphere, shall we?

Lucy

Nearly....but not quite

They try. Really, you have to give them credit for that. Still, Luke and I can't help but have a good giggle over some of the attempts we come across from time to time. Of course people have been having a laugh over these kinds of things for many a year but I thought it was time I shared some that have cracked me up over the last eight months or so. So, without further ado, here are some attempts at using english, all the way from Korea.

I think the first one that really made Luke and I laugh would have to be this one:

Now, while there isn't really anything wrong naming an english school "Toss English" you have to admit, it does make you giggle a little, doesn't it?

The second one I couldn't resist a photo of was this one:

That's right the word "mall" is now a verb! Hooray! Let's all mall together, shall we? They just love it in South Korea, it's the latest thing! Luckily, I don't think this has caught on, even in the language referred to here as "Konglish" which is how Koreans label their version of the english language. Luke and I are quite fluent in Konglish these days (there's one to put on the resume!) and sometimes it really is a whole new language in itself.... that frequently fails to make sense to english speaking people. Hmmm....

Seeing this written on a grade five student's pencil case made me do a double-take. I don't have photographic evidence on this one (it might have seemed a little strange) but in among the cute pictures of cartoon pandas was the line "Alcohol is my soulmate". Interesting....

Another one I was unable to photograph was on a t-shirt worn by one of my grade six girls. The t-shirt featured good old Mickey Mouse and informed me that "Being kind is not the same as being wimpy". Great advice from Mickey there.

Even the rubbish bin under my desk has a wacky attempt at english written on the side of it (really, no bin is complete without such a thing, is it?) It tells me to "Please throw down your agony and despair in this basket" which is lovely and all but actually I just want to dispose of my used tea bags and the like.... Not quite sure what they were even aiming for on that one.

Well, that's all the examples I can remember for now so, happy malling to you all and if you have any agony or despair on you please be sure to put it in the nearest bin. Thank you.

Lucy

Autumn Leaves Falling, A Birthday Comes Calling

It was my 23rd birthday last Saturday. I've never celebrated a birthday away from home before and I felt that this one could go one of two ways. Firstly, I'd feel lonely and sad and miss all the people I normally spend my birthdays with, or it would be special because of where I am and the people around me here. I'm so happy to say that the second option is how I felt!

On the morning of my birthday, I had a virtual party with my Mum, my Dad and my brother Andrew, who happened to be in Adelaide for a bike race. We sat around our computers, I opened my lovely presents and there was even a cake with candles! (In Australia, that is. I expect it might have been a little stale had it been posted to Korea!) I was so touched by all the thoughtful gifts and cards I received from home. Thank you to you all, you really made my day so special! After the virtual party, Luke and I slowly got ready to take our usual hair-raising bus ride into Seoul.

In Seoul we wandered about, had cake and chai lattes at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and just generally enjoyed being out and about. We meandered around until it was time to meet our co-teachers for dinner at a gorgeous Italian restaurant called Felice Gatto. Young Ku, Ellie and her husband joined Luke and I for a lovely meal and once again, there was a cake with candles. I felt very well celebrated!

A Chai latte in Seoul

The group at dinner

Luke and I at Felice Gatto

Looking out the front door of Felice Gatto

After dinner, we all went to a beautiful traditional tea house. Set in a quiet backstreet, the tea house had the most inviting warm glow about it as we approached it. We sat on the heated floor, drank delicious teas (I tried the quince tea which was yummy!) ate cake, talked and laughed and had a really lovely time. It was unlike any birthday I've had before and I've got a feeling it will be a memorable one, for all the right reasons.

Tea and cake

By the end of the night, Luke and I were so tired we fell asleep on the couch with Dusty while my new "Mamma Mia!" soundtrack played in the background. As the day came to an end I thought about the distance between Korea and Australia and I realised that it hadn't really felt that far that day. I may be far away in terms of physical distance, but there's nothing like shared affection and kind thoughts to make that distance feel less daunting and less significant. 

I had a great year as a 22 year old but I feel ready to be 23, I feel there are some great adventures in store for the three from the box and I'm looking forward to whatever they may be.

Lucy