Sonntag, 22. März 2015

Touring the City (Lotte Everywhere, Riverside, Cheonggyecheon and Myeong Dong)



After our strenuous hike we tried to start Saturday easily. Giving Jamsil a peak which is famous for its huge indoor and outdoor amusement park Lotte World. Lotte is another one of the Korean huge, omnipresent companies (chaebols like Samsung, LG and Hyundai). Most people start to notice the Lotte department stores with different branches and cinemas, then maybe you notice that there is food branded with Lotte and a fastfood chain named Lotteria. But more over you can find Lotte hotels, a building company, an insurance company, an chemical company and even a baseball team named Lotte Giants. (And if you wonder, according to the myth, the founder liked the German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.)

After a coffee break at the lake around Lotte World we decided to go on a on an off bus around the city. It took us 45 minutes to get to the other side of downtown Seoul and missed the bus for seconds. Sometimes the punctuality of the Koreans and especially the Korean Transportation System is a little uncanny. The underground is so punctual the app runs without wifi and without any variance. But even the transport that is dependent on the traffic can keep with that. When we took the last tour bus an hour later he ended his tour just in time after exactly 90 minutes and through the dense traffic.  
The panoramic tour took us up to Namsan park the hill in the middle of Seoul, back to the Han River and along the riverside park which was packed with people and tents but missing some greenery. I hope that will flourish within the next weeks. Back in town we passed the buzzing district around the Hongik University and ended at the Gwanghwamun Station. 

 




As the sun disappeared slowly we headed for the near Cheonggyecheon. As a creek from the Han River, it almost starts just above Myeong Dong one of the active shopping districts but runs for over 8 kilometers. Lined with trees you can stroll along the waterside, starting with a waterfall, a lucky well, stone steps and bridges to change sides, music and laser shows. And tiny as they were we found some blossoms slowly coming out. 



 Being so near we could not help as going for the Myeong Dong and float with the choice of food (chicken and seafood pancake) and fashion (bold styles and cuts). It is definitely worth a visit – especially in the vibrant evening.

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