Dakgalbi

The city of Chuncheon, Korea, despite being a large provincial capital, is a getaway place for people looking to escape megacity Seoul for a day or two.  Chuncheon is about a one hour, scenic train ride northeast of Seoul.  Along the way, the view consists of forested hills and farmed valleys, intermingled with smaller cities.  Numerous reservoirs created from impounded streams sprawl beyond the original watercourses of the lowlands.

Chuncheon is a chicken producing region famous for dakgalbi, an indigenous dish comprised of chicken, sweet potatoes, cabbage, scallions, and rice cakes stir-fried in a chili pepper based sauce on a hot plate in the center of the diners' table.  The city's popular Myeongdong Dakgalbi Street is actually more of an alley, and is home to twenty or so restaurants featuring slight variations of dakgalbi at about the same, very affordable price.  Expect to pay about 10,000 won per diner (that's under 10 US dollars at current exchange rates).  We partook of the offering at Myung Mule Restaurant.

I've become quite nimble at handling chopsticks, and managed to eat my entire portion of the excellent fare without spilling any down the front of my shirt.  Aprons hang on hooks along the walls, and can be donned by customers whose dining skills are less refined than mine.

An entrance to Myeongdong Dakgalbi Street
in Chuncheon, Korea.

The famed stretch of restaurants,
between dining hours
and somewhat deserted on an early Thursday afternoon.

The interior of Myung Mule Restaurant,
which offers a choice
of Eastern or Western style seating.

Dakgalbi sizzling on the grill
between stirrings.

Outside looking in.

A shot out of the train window along the Gyeongchun Line
between Chuncheon and Seoul.

Balancing Act

Boys play on an improvised balance beam on the grounds
of the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul.

Street Photographer

Near Hongik University in Seoul,
looking down the barrel
of a street photographer's telephoto lens.

Riverboat Cruise

On the Han River in Seoul, revelers await the dinner buffet
aboard a riverboat cruise.

Overhead lighting in the dining hall
of the riverboat.

A passing riverboat and a gray evening on the Han.

Chopper over Chuncheon

A helicopter passes low over the city of Chuncheon,
the capital of Gangwon-do,
South Korea's northeasternmost province.

COEX Aquarium

A red tailed catfish at the COEX Aquarium in Seoul.



The aquarium's sea tunnel facilitates viewing
from the bottom up.

Aquarium visitors.

Poppies

Poppy blooms in Seoul along the Han River
across from the National Assembly Building.

A Summer Night Concert

In Yeouido Hangang Park last evening, kites, music, and fireworks filled the air as the Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted "A Summer Night Concert with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra".

The venue well before the show as people
begin to trickle in.

Getting a kite airborne before the concert.

It was a good evening to spread out a lawn blanket
and kick off the shoes.

A young girl eyes the flight of a kite
as she controls the spool.

An attentive audience views the stage as the show begins.

The sun goes down.

Ji-Hae Park performs on the violin.

During the grand finale, fireworks erupted
as the orchestra
performed Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

Han River Fisherman

In Seoul, a fisherman on the north bank
of the Han River.

The Green Line

The Seoul Metropolitan Subway system is an amazing, extensive network
of tracks and stations that can get you darn close to anywhere
you desire to go in the city, and, on some lines,
well beyond the metro area.
It is remarkably clean, safe, and user friendly.
Pictured are riders on Line 2 (the green line).

Bandi & Luni's

Stacey (right) as interviewee at Bandi & Luni's Bookstore in the COEX Mall
in the Gangnam district of Seoul (that part of town made world famous
by the performer Psy's "Gangnam Style" video).
South Koreans spend oodles of money and time learning English.  The girl
on the left had a classroom assignment to track down a willing, native
English speaker, and conduct an English Q&A session recorded
on her cell phone.  Stacey complied and
performed admirably.

A classic book shelved in the large, English language section at Bandi & Luni's.
For me, a Chaucer sighting always brings to mind Professor Richard
Kirkwood at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire back
in 1973.  He thought a leisurely Sunday afternoon
reading Chaucer (even if only in the translation)
bested just about anything else imaginable.
To brag a bit, I count among my greatest lifetime achievements (which are
remarkably few), the being presented the Kirkwood Literary Award
for essay writing in my fall '73-'74 semester section.
Its accompanying $5 stipend was quite a boost
to my fortunes at the time.

Stacey browses the Kiddie Lit tables at Bandi & Luni's.
Combine all the money we've spent on kids' books through the years
with that $5 Kirkwood prize, saved and invested wisely
at the time, and who knows in what tropical paradise
we'd while away our days, lounging casually
and sipping Mai Tais.

Photo Spot

In Seoul, a bronze plaque to assist the visually impaired has been embedded
in the pavement of a Bukchon passageway.
Nearby are the shoes of a Korean lad who kindly lent me his feet.



A shot from the photo spot.
It's highly unlikely the girls are in this precise place every
afternoon, but I'm sure others
equally becoming pass this way frequently.
Their presence does add panache to the photograph.

Empty Bottles

Dust covered, empty bottles outside an Insadong
Street establishment in Seoul.

Pastime

"One could do worse than be a swinger of birches"  --from the poem "Birches" by Robert Frost.

In the same vein, one could do worse than idle away an afternoon scouring
a rocky coast in search of seashells.
Such simple pursuits can transcend time, and, when in an hour of need,
restore a small measure
of sanity to mankind's wonderful, wacky existence.

Hanok

"Hanok" means Korean home, and the term has come to represent a style of traditional architecture constructed of wood, stone, and earth.

For many people in Seoul, home is an apartment in a high-rise building, but, in some places, hanok living still exists.  The Bukchon area north of downtown stands out as a classic, inhabited hanok village.



Hanok construction.

 

Looking uphill in a Bukchon alleyway
popular with sightseers.



Hanok eaves and windows.

Descending a steep alleyway in Bukchon.


 

The elaborate front gate is a hallmark
of hanok homes in Bukchon.

 

More Bukchon hanok homes.
 

Bukchon hanok have black tile roofs pictured here
in the foreground.
Rural, more modest dwellings often had straw roofs.
The small courtyard
that the hanok are clustered around is another
common feature
in a multi-structured village.

 



A hanok nestled between modern
architectural styles.