Our first day in Seoul, and the first thing we do is stumble upon a small restaurant with an all-Korean menu where we were the only foreigners. It was wonderful! The lady boss sat us down and pointed at the menu and showed us two fingers. We nodded, and the food and drink arrived. It was rice (which we’ve learned Koreans eat morning, day, and evening), kimchi (fermented vegetables), onion, chili sauce, and the centerpiece: a large black pot of boiling soup with pork neck and bok choy in broth. After some google lense searching we found out that we were having “hangover cure soup”. It’s going to take a lot to beat this one. So tasty. And all this food for both of us for under 200 kr.

The main event was the Gyeongbokgung palace. After an hour walking around the connecting museum and reading about the Josun dynasty that ruled Seoul up until last century, we joined an English tour guide around the palace grounds, and learned about how the king and queen (not to mention his concubines) lived here since the 1300’s. Many of the buildings were destroyed by the Japanese and have been rebuilt.

Many people were dressed up in hanbok, the traditional dress, and were taking pictures together. Apparently this is very popular, and many places rent out hanbok both to locals and tourists.

On our way back to the hotel we walked through Myeongdong market with a myriad of street food and shops. In Korea, if you can think it, they have it. So many strange knick knacks and combinations you could never imagine. And the English on them are hilarious and nonsensical. I had myself a Nutella banana pancake with frosties and cream. Perhaps not the most Korean choice, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Since I’ve been sick for a few days, and lost my voice from the throat infection, I had an early night.