The Saturday after Halloween, November 2nd. I walked to the subway station in Shinchang, took the nuriro to Seoul station, and took the airport train to Incheon. I left my apartment at 2pm and made it to the actual airport around 7pm. I sat in the airport train station for 30 minutes before I realized I was basically the only one there waiting... I don't know why I didn't recognize that it didn't look familiar... Eventually I made it, right as Auntie C was coming out of international arrivals after her 14 hour flight. Perfect timing in my book. She brought with her a 50-pound monster full of things I had wanted/needed. It was like Christmas.
I thought I was really smart and had our whole trip to the hotel planned back to the subway transfer, but apparently I had looked up the wrong hotel. 9:30pm found us wandering the dark streets of Seoul with a suitcase and two backpacks. A kind man helped us get a taxi and explain to the taxi driver where we actually wanted to go (about 20 minutes away, whoops). Sorry, Auntie C! As if you weren't exhausted already.
Our hotel was fabulous and located right by City Hall in downtown Seoul within walking distance of everything we needed to walk to, luckily. We were quite hungry by the time we'd settled into our top floor room and so we took to the streets. Seeing as it was already 10pm by this point, most restaurants were closed, but we perservered. Eventually we saw a large crowd and thought there must be food. Instead, it was the Seoul Lantern Fest! This turned out to be even better. We wandered along a stream looking at fantastic paper lanterns in the shape of ships, people, and animals while eating street food we couldn't always identify. It turned from being a horrible, exhausting night wandering around dark streets to finding yummy food and bright lanterns.
We then woke up at 4:30am to listen to the Michigan v. Michigan State game on the radio. I don't want to talk about it and I went back to bed at halftime because I was so discouraged.
We got up Sunday morning and had breakfast around the corner at a coffee shop (one of practically fifteen on our block). During the early hours, we explored a palace located right across the street from City Hall. The grounds were beautiful and the leaves were changing colors. Then we spent the afternoon wandering around the tiny streets of Insadong, one of the oldest (the oldest?) part of traditional Seoul. We found a back-corner restaurant where I recognized one picture on the menu: bosom. So, we ate that.
Later, we took the KTX (bullet train), back to my area. We went and took care of little Nimbus (he was happy to see us), and then went to the hotel in Onyang for the night. I walked to school the next morning and Aunt C worked in a coffee shop all day. That night, we had dinner with my co-teachers at a delicious shabu shabu restaurant. Shabu shabu is life-changing. Have it at least once in your life.
Tuesday: Aunt C came and visited at school before she left and brought goodies! An electric kettle, a plant, a pear mug, and some wall decals for my hideously pink bathroom. They were all put to good use. We said our goodbyes, but I saw her again on Thursday when I took the train up to return the monster suitcase before she left Seoul. We met at her hotel and ate Outback because I was craving a salad and a beer.
It was such a blessing to have her here. My first visitor.
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