1. Christmas Lighting at Cheonnggyecheon
This was what we actually went to Seoul during the period for. We wanted to see light decoration. We heard that from mid December to early January, Cheonggyecheon stream will be decorated with light to celebrate the festivity. We really like Cheonggyecheon already so, seeing the lights would be added bonus.
Getting to Cheonggyecheon is very easy. Just get on subway line 2 and get off at City Hall. It's only a short walk from there.
We arrived at Cheonggyecheon around 6:30PM, just after dark. There were already a huge crowd. Most of them were at the beginning of the stream. The crowd thinned out a we walked further.
They seemed to separate the decoration into sections with different themes and colors tone.
We walked for awhile and made a U-turn and went back the same way. There were also Christmas decorations around the City Hall area. They set up a temporary ice ring as well as Christmas market.
We look around a bit before taking the subway to another destination.
2. Visit to Noryangjin Fish market
My friend and I LOVE seafood. Our friends used to tease us that we are addicted to iodine hehehe. So, we got to seek out seafood place. We have heard about the fish market for some times but, haven't gotten a chance to go. Since, we were staying longer than usual, we had time to check it out.
To get to Noryangjin Fish market, take subway line 9 and get off at, well, Noryangjin station. From the platform, walk up the stairs and to the exit to the right. Walk to the overpass and turn right. There is a large sign pointing the way to Fish Market.
From the overpass, I really could smell fish and grilled fish. I remembered reading a review on the internet and it mentioned to follow the smell. We followed to the end of overpass, turned right and went down the stairs. We arrived at the 2nd floor where we could look down and get an overview of the market. There were rows of stall selling all kinds of seafood.
We have seen the pictures before but, it couldn't compare. On the ground floor, we first walked down the front row. There were large variety of seafood; fish, crabs, prawns, shells and more that we couldn't identify. There were many that we have never seen before or known that it was edible.
The second row and more inside were mostly fish.
After browsing around, we have decided on our lunch menu. Too bad, there were only two of us so, we couldn't choose many dishes. We went for fresh oyster, fish sashimi and grilled fish. We got oysters and sashimi from one of the stalls on the first row. Then, we bought fresh fish from the inner row.
The owner of the stall where we bought sashimi offered to take us to a restaurant that would cook our food so, we went.
At the restaurant which actually was more like a tent along the side of the market, we could bring any kind of seafood and they would cook according to our specification. We paid for service and beverages. The seafood was really fresh even the oysters which were shucked before we bought. I have seen from Korean variety show that they ate raw fish and oysters with chili sauce instead of soy sauce or vinegar/ lemon. I was wondering whether the flavors would go together or the chili would overpower the seafood taste. So, I really wanted to try. Well, it was different but goooood. I think it was very refreshing. Just don't put too much sauce on it. We definitely will have to come back to this market again next time.
3. Browsed at LINE FRIENDS STORE
We are all familiar with Line stickers and its characters. We heard that about the store but, have never been there. There are many branches. There was one in the basement of department store in Dongdaemun (area that we stayed). However, that one was quite small. It was the Myeongdong branch that Wow us. It was a bit difficult to find. We actually stumbled there by accident. It was a two stories shop with huge Brown the bear doll in front.
Arriving there, we saw a long queue out front and thought that it was a line to get into the store. We soon realized that it was a line to take picture with Brown.
Inside there were large varieties of Line merchandise, many more than I thought. They thought of everything!! There was a sign in the store said "Food No, Photo Yes". Most stores would not allow taking picture but, not this one, They actually encouraged it. It was so cute. We wanted everything but, got to remind ourselves that, we probably would have any use for them.
So, we only took pictures and looked around.
Well, we did buy Line merchandises for our friends but, from another branch in Dongdaemun.
4. A very trusting Porridge Restaurant in Dongdaemun
On the last day of our trip, I got indigestion and stomachache so, we decided to have Korean porridge for a light lunch. We were staying in Dongdaemun area and have seen this restaurant before but, have never eaten there. Since this place was only a couple mins walk from our hotel and we had to return to hotel to catch the airport limousine bus soon, we thought it was time for us to visit. The restaurant was close to the intersection between Eulji-ro and Jangchangdan-ro (Line 2 Dongdaemun History & Culture Park stop exit 13 and walk straight). Sorry, I do not know the restaurant name.
Anyway, it was a very local and small restaurant with only 8 seats. When we got there, there were only 2 customers. The owner, an Ajumma (Auntie in Korean), who couldn't speak English was only one to take order and prepare the porridge for us.
We both order seafood porridge. It came with some Korean condiments. The porridge was very tasty in a homey kind of way. I really like it. Also, Ajumma was very generous with the amount of seafood she put in. It was full of shrimp, squid, oyster, clam and abalone. There was seafood with every mouthful.
By the time, we got our steamy bowls of porridge, the other customers already finished and left the restaurant. When we were about half way done, Ajumma came to us. She spoke to us in Korean with some hand gestures (we only know some Korean words from Korean series) and we gathered that she wanted us to pay now because she had to go out. So, we said ok and paid her. Once she collected the money, she put on her jacket and said "bye bye" to us. Then, she left the restaurant without saying anything further. We were kind of shocked because there was nobody else with us. Even when we finished with our porridges, she still hasn't come back. We were kind of confused with what to do. Obviously, she felt very safe and trusting that we wouldn't steal from her restaurant.
We also saw similar things with customers in other restaurants. There were many times that we saw the whole group of people got up and left the restaurant (maybe for smoke or restroom) with their belonging (mobile phone and bags) lying around. And they would be gone for quite a long period that we thought they have forgot their things. But, then they would returned and resumed their dining. Shouldn't they worry that some people might snatch their belonging? I don't think that I would be able to leave my stuff around. So, they must feel very secure and trusting.
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