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Published: December 31st 2010
Margot came up with an excellent analogy today as I continued to struggle trying to understand the dateline thing:
a dog chasing its tail
Chicago is the tail and Soeul is the head
it made more sense to me when she was explaining it.
So, we definitely were not prepared for the super freezing temps in Soeul which definitely served as a barrier to really see the city. We made it to Soeul Station after a pleasant hour train ride from the airport (landscape looked like northern lower penninsula michigan: snowy, some hills, bare tress and few houses; oh, except for the terraced tomb stones) and then after befriending a Seattle-native who visits here often (really?) he directed us to Gwanghwamun square/station for some exploration. Basically trying to stay warm won out which meant we perused a super huge bookstore that was more like a department store and spent short spurts outside taking a peek at a temple, some statues (one in gold with a guy jumping in a fabulous dance position over a horse - i was so tempted to try to recreate it but feeling a little conservative in this foreign country - i think there was some etiquette
thing I was trying to remember) and a performing arts center (Annie the musical is playing!). The buildings are a mix of 70's-like style, the transportation stations/trains are super high tech, the people are pretty conservatively dressed with tailored lines with very little color (mostly black). They're big on cell phone charms and didn't seem nearly dressed warm enough. Margot and I ducked in the very first restaurant we could find and ordered pictures off a menu (it was by now the lunch hour and people on their lunch break started coming in). We tried to order bibimbab, but they were out, so we ordered some kind of spicy stew that had a potatoe and vertebral column in it, rice, and a super grainy-chili-spicy octopus. Now, I've had octopus before, but I have to admit I was getting nervous as I tried my first bite of it - and didn't necessarily like it, but couldn't tell if it was because there were so many unfamiliar tastes. So, I gave it a solid 3 more tries thinking it might grow on me . . . no dice. The vertebral column was more interesting from a dissection point of view. So, we
busied ourselves with identifying as many structures as we could as we extracted what little there was to eat from it. They forgot our last dish (something that looked like tortellini, but i doubt that's what it was). So, after some sign languaging, we had that taken off our bill.
At least the meal momentarily warmed us up.
PS Jessica, your chocolate chip cookies are sustaining us for the moment.
oh and also, there's a slew of you: Janna and Marijke, Erin and Sam, Alex Mackenzie, Kim, Clapper, Margot (! just handed it to you!) and Evan and Oloa - your holiday cards failed to make it in the mail before I left, and they are here with me now, so you will all probably get them sometime in the next year (no surprise, there!), damn.
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Chris
non-member comment
Brrr
Enjoying your updates. The pictures are great, though it does look cold! Airport looks amazing. Continued safe travels for you and Margot! Love, Mom