The secret garden

Sunday, I finally fulfilled my wish to see Biwon, or as it is referred to more often in tour guides: the secret garden. It is one of the few places that may only be visited with a tour guide since it is so exceptionally beautiful and also quite close to the Chong Wa Dae, the official residence of the Korean president. On my way there I came past a wedding cultural hall, the significance of which becomes particularly apparent, when one is aware of the fact that 25% of Korean are Buddhists another 25% percent Christians and the rest doesn't stick to any organized religion. Upon arrival at the Changdeokgung palace, whose grounds contain the secret garden, I was delighted to find out that English tours were more common than Chinese ones. Nonetheless, there were only three per day and I had to pass some time before I could enter. The only slight disadvantage to this palace is that even the English tour attracts quite a few people as I thought I'd demonstrate in the first picture of the palace grounds. Inside the palace which actually served as the main palace of the emperor for a few hundred years one can see the throne along with many traditional wooden buildings with beautiful rooftops holding little statues to ward off evil. The true treasure of this palace is the secret garden, however, which perfectly blends into the surrounding nature and emanates an aura of peace and quiet. Walking through the secret garden means wandering through the forest, past ponds, beautiful flowers and ancient trees. A very kind couple also made it possible to show you the first proof that I am actually here. Looking back, it was probably the most beautiful palace in Seoul. Another advantage is the proximity to Insadong, Seoul's shopping street for traditional items and self-made sweets. It was there that I met a friend of mine from the student days in Santa Cruz. An American who studied with me in Santa Cruz, currently on vacation in Korea, while actually working in Vietnam on a documentary film. How amazing is that? The evening continued with a California roll sushi dinner and a well-deserved first cold stone icecream of this visit.

Lotte...

Last year we had been to Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, the I-Park Mall and the COEX, but we had never gone out of our way to visit Lotte World, Lotte World Department Store and Lotte World Hotel. This had to change and so I went there on Saturday afternoon. Stepping out of the subway I was immediately overwhelmed by the shiny entrance area of Lotte department store, mart, world, hotel etc. underground with no obvious way to the surface nearby. Instead, I was welcomed by a fancy fountain with greek-style statues and made my way through an array glittering stores toward Lotte world. It was quite an amazing sight. There is a huge ice-skating rink on the bottom floor along with an entire amusement park on the top floor, all combined under a huge glass roof. Needless to say, there was also a bowling alley, a swimming pool, a movie theater and an impressive number of restaurants. Among them everything from Lotteria, a Lotte fast-food burger chain, to a Mövenpick Marché (!!!), a rather upper class buffet restaurant, which I thought existed only in Germany. Making my way to the surface I passed Star Avenue, an entertainment venue geared toward marketing Korea's most sought-after stars. Finally on the surface I was to be amazed yet again by an artificial island in the middle of a lake connected by a tram to Lotte World. The island featured all kinds of different rides as well as fantasy castles and bars. I returned inside to go up to the 12th level of the Lotte department store, unable to leave without spending a little money, and ended my trip peeking into the - as my map likes to call it - 'super deluxe' Lotte World hotel. I returned to Nok-Du with a little side trip via Apgujeong, intent on watching a movie in the huge Cine City, but sadly I either knew the english movies or did not want to see them (Harry Potter occupies way too many theaters) so I just strolled down Rodeo street and returned home.

Mackerel & Mandu

Well, so it goes. Maybe I should put food in the title after all. But before doing that I'd like to share an impression of Seoul as seen from a restaurant in the I-Park mall. Note how hazy it is. It is also so humid that no matter what you do outside, you will be sweating - yes, sitting around doing nothing also works ;)
Anyhow, as of today I now truly have everything I need: a Korean keyboard, liquid soap, a big towel that never dries and soon internet access in the office. So I was quite happy on my way to lunch, when I had to notice that my open-mindedness toward food had taken a step back during my time in Germany. My colleagues insisted, however, that I should try the mackerel covered by red sauce and so I did. Uncertain of my future and slightly hesitant I got it, took a picture of it and started eating. It tasted remarkably well. Therefore, now my colleagues had to wait for me to find all the fish bones and eat the last piece of meat on it I could find. Once again I was left surprised by the quality of fish for slightly more than two Euros in the SNU dining hall. Afterwards I decided it was time to visit the SNU gym for some work-out. I deliberately risk repeating myself to praise this place: first, you can pay for entering only once without any difficulty and don't have to sign up for the rest of your life or be bothered by promotion people as is the case in Germany. Second, you get a towel, shorts and a t-shirt to wear and just throw it in the hamper for washing once your done working out. (You don't get shoes and socks and I obviously managed to forget to bring a second pair of the latter. Ah well, next time.) The entire place is air-conditioned (other than easy sports, where you die in summer) and water is free. Finally soap, hairbrushes, blowdriers, etc. are all available and included. Awesome. Anyhow, with slightly aching muscles I made my way back to Nok-Du and managed to find the Mandu (Korean dumpling) dumpling restaurant we enjoyed so much. I didn't manage to order the ones I wanted, however, but while attempting to make the waitress understand came across 'four large' mandu as an option. So I ordered those, since I had only seen regular size before. Can't say I prefer them over the small ones really, but they are certainly a sight, aren't they? And allow me to emphasize the price again: less than three euros in a restaurant!!!

Return to Nok-Du

Time is passing incredibly fast sometimes. I've only just spent a few days in Mainz and am already on my way back for my second three-month stay in Seoul. Leaving Mainz was a lot harder for me this time, but once I stepped out of the plane the excitement of being back in Korea quite successfully overcame the sadness of having left Mainz. Before leaving the airport, there is a little quirk worth mentioning about Korea: no matter what cell phone you bring it is impossible to tell whether it will work or not. The most likely answer, however, is: no. Because of this you can rent cell phones at the airport. It's actually quite cheap and you immediately have a Korean number and can call anywhere for little money. Afterwards I dragged my bag through the hot and extremely humid summer weather. The lonely planet guide book explicitely advises against visiting this time of year, but what the hell. Next goal was to meet with Sangtaik who had kindly arranged my housing here. We chose a place of comfort, where waiting would be air-conditioned and joyous: Dunkin' Donuts. I am staying two doors to the right of my former room, so for information and pictures refer to my first blog entry from ages ago. Next came an incredible slightly over an hour shopping spree through Nok-Du. I bought everything I deemed necessary for my stay here: bed sheets, linen, a pillow, glasses, a knife, a plate, a multi-outlet power strip, trash bags, toilet paper, post-it notes and probably even more for roughly a hundred Euros. Did I mention I arrived on Sunday? Shopping is definitely much more convenient here than in Germany.
To refill my strength I ate a 'fusion' dish, i.e. merged Korean-Western, for dinner: pork cutlet. A smooth transition from European to Korean dining is probably a good idea. After such a successful day, I felt like doing a little more than just unpacking and going to bed, so I made a short trip to Shillim. Two main reasons dictated the choice: first I wanted to make someone very special to me a little jealous ;) and second I didn't want to have to break my 'no donuts during the week' concept on the very first Monday that I am here... After a slightly exhausting, but donut-filled day I am now more than ready for bed.
BTW: Despite many such requests I will NOT rename the blog to include food in the title ;)
I will try, however, not be terribly repetitive as I know I have been today in the future and will only post more food pics, if I find something truly new.