“These years are still the years of my prime. It is important to recognize the years of one's prime, always remember that.” ~Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Despite the bitter chill over Seoul (Siberian winds are the devil), three of us decided to part from our cozy heated floors, get suited up and venture around town. We've been here five months now, but still have much to explore.
Traveling west along the Han River, we headed towards World Cup Stadium. The area has many hiking trails and we thought a brisk walk and some fresh air would be a perfect start to our day. Of course, we got a little sidetracked, and instead of hiking, we stumbled upon an ice skating rink. It turned into the most amazing morning. Despite not having ice skated in about 15 years, I think I did pretty great...no wipe outs!
In the afternoon, we traveled to northern Seoul to a little district named Buamdong. This area is filled with picturesque cafes and art galleries, but the best feature of Buamdong is that it's quiet and calm. It's a beautiful neighborhood that foreigners don't really know about and is quite far from Seoul's busy city center. Little has changed in this area since the 1970s, so many buildings are low-rise and are quite unique compared to other neighborhoods I've been to in Seoul. We also explored here because I had read that Buamdong was home to a famous coffee house named Sanmotungi, where a popular television drama, The Coffee Prince, was filmed. Sanmotungi was AMAZING! Not only was the peppermint tea fabulous, but the view of Buamdong and Bugaksan mountain was breathtaking. We decided to take our tea outside, wrap ourselves in blankets and enjoy the view from the stone patio.
To end our journey, we wandered back to Seoul's busy city streets and went to our favourite vegetarian restaurant in Insadong. It was the perfect way to end a great day...sitting on heated floors, sipping tea and eating feel good food with great friends.
