Seoul Ready to Start the Journey

Great trip so far. 

We thank our friends Chun and Sangeun, who live part time in Squamish and part time here in Seoul, for meeting us on Sunday and giving us an amazing first impression of Korea. First stop was for lunch at the Tosokchon Samgyetang restaurant - considered the top restaurant in Korea for its traditional ginseng chicken soup - from the outside an unimposing building in traditional style but room for over 400 diners. Chun said that we needed to be there early to avoid the crowd - little did we realize how much of a crowd it would draw - the line was literally around the block, several hundred in line waiting to get it, when we left. A delicious meal - glad we didn't eat a big breakfast.

On to the royal palace with its ornate roof lines and colourful changing of the guard. The whole area was teeming with families enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon. 

We had dinner before returning to the hotel with Chun and Sangeun deciding on what we would eat and they chose well. The only problem is that there is no way that we will remember what we ate when written in Korean script. But it was good.

The next day were back in town, amongst other things walking through Bukchon Hanok Village, preserving the style of traditional villages 600 years ago. 

We took a short late day cruise on the Han river. The banks were absolutely packed with people enjoying May Day.

Dinner that night at a local eatery with Henry, the leader of TDA Global Cycling who we know well from our many previous tours and our time in Toronto. Very efficient way of dining/doing business. That black thing between Ursula and Henry is the computer screen. Choose your dish from pictures and some English. scan the credit card, hear the audible notification to kitchen and servers, and the meals and refreshments come very quickly.  

Tuesday we visited the demilitarized zone. 

We had expected to see various memorials to both military and civilian casualties of the war.

We had not expected an memorial and exhibit hall to approximately 100,000 South Koreans abducted by the North during the war who have gone totally unacknowledged through the years by the North.

Finally time to get the bikes rebuilt and out for a short (~24 km) ride mostly along the bicycle paths along the Han River and across the bridges. Beautiful totally segregated pathway which we will be on most of the day tomorrow for our first day of riding.

First impressions of South Korea, a country neither of us have previously visited... clean, friendly, very considerate driving habits, hardly ever hear the honking of a horn, very patient waiting for pedestrians at crosswalks. We're looking forward to the cycling down to Busan.

Next day off the bikes is four days hence.

 

  

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