Two failures and a surprise hit

Yesterday, Dongdaemon Design Plaza and Park sounded good. Bits of it were. Most of it was shut.(Chuseok)

The French Quarter at Seorae sounded good. We found a French vet, but most of it was shut too (Chuseok)

Emily suggested lunch at a Department store, Shinsegae. We thought that sounded a really rubbish idea. But we were wrong. Up-market, varied, unusual and tasty foods from Korea and beyond were exquisitely and tastefully displayed. What to choose? It was a delicious dilemma.

After, Emily joined the queue – the long queue – for their famous cheese tarts (think creamy and delicate cheesecake). We were utterly converted.

After, Gangnam for Emily. Malcolm went home, and after I’d gazed at a few enormous sky-scrapers, so did I.

A good, but not at all as predicted day. And today we leave for Busan. There’s a monsoon hurling down out there. Never seen anything like it.

 

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Dancing for Chuseok

Yesterday was for dancing. Korean dancing. Which we saw at the very wonderful National Museum of Korea – of which more later, when I’m not pecking at a smartphone.

Here were wonderfully clad dancers in the national colours of white, red and green. The men got all the action. Tossing their heads made the ribbons on their heads swirl and circle. They strutted, marched, tapped intricate rhythms on drums, jumped and kicked as the women demurely circled round. The younger men created tottering towers of children above their heads. They thrilled us.

I wish I could post my videos. But I can’t.

 

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Happy Chuseok

It’s Chuseok today, the 15th September – and yesterday, and tomorrow. It’s a time when Koreans enjoy their families, honour their ancestors, and used to celebrate the harvest.

Come on girls, you’ll enjoy the chance to dress up and parade the streets in gorgeous traditional dress. Go on – you know you want to. Make your man dress up too. You know he doesn’t want to.

You’ll want to give gifts too. I know just the thing. Presentation boxes of tins of spam. They’re in every shop. The Americans introduced the stuff during the Korean war in the 1950s and the Koreans love it to this day.

Happy Chuseok!

 

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A moment of silent prayer

Emily’s here! Hooray, hooray.

But this afternoon she had jobs to do, and Malcolm still needs to rest.

I popped into Myeondong Catholic Cathedral, as it looked so – well – European.

I now know from the stained glass windows that Jesus and his twelve apostles are European, probably northern European.

I also saw an elderly woman at her prayers. She had a tasselled prayer card. But beside her was her smartphone. She was systematically tapping through it as she completed each prayer. Is this the 21st century version of the rosary?

Only in Korea……

By the way, this shot is of the cathedral by night, as it was when we first saw it.

 

Feeling rather proud…..

…… because this evening I went out all by myself to a spit-and-sawdust neighbourhood restaurant. I’d had to leave poor old Malcolm tucked up on his mattress to catch up on lost sleep. Food was of no interest to him.

No tourists here. No English menu. But I managed to order spiced octopus stew, and later to say it was delicious and ask for the bill. I tackled my six kinds of kimchee, sizzling fishy broth, a pot of rice and the octopus with no kind of panache and almost certainly appalling table manners. My fellow diners – and the waitress – cut me lots of slack.

Here’s a photo of my kimchee selection.

Tomorrow will be easier. Emily arrives. Hooray!

 

Changdeokgung Palace and its secret garden.

Beloved of the kings of the Joseon Dynasty since the 14th century, this palace’s true treasure is its spacious, secret garden, where Nature has been enhanced yet left in charge.

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Sauntering in Seoul

If you want a pair of experts in miming for your Christmas charades, we’re your team. We spent the morning getting coffee from a back-street coffee shop, directions from anyone whose eye we caught and lunch from a market stall, all without benefit of much language at all. Pidgin Konglish rules.

Mainly though we got our bearings and pottered round the markets. Whole zones – large zones – concentrated entirely on their specialisms – traditional jewellery; timepieces; electricians’ goods (whole shops for instance of flexes and cables); rubber bands; string; cardboard packaging; logo packaging; sports trophies …..

From late morning, women scurried about with newspaper-covered tin trays on their heads containing appetising looking lunches. These meals were delivered to shop assistants and tradesmen who sat on the floor of their workplace or in the street to eat.

At the moment, rain has stopped play. But we needed a break anyway.

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Rather lost in Seoul

We’re here. In Seoul. A very long flight was hugely improved by our being upgraded to First Class no less. Long story.

An hour long bus journey in Seoul dropped us off within a five minute walk of our guest house. Forty five minutes later we found it, having been misdirected by a night watchman, a housewife and a schoolgirl, before finally happening upon two English-speaking students who used an app to find our address.

Which is a traditional Hanok house – wooden, mattresses on the floor – very cosy. More tomorrow. Off to bed. I’ve had no sleep for forty hours.

Hip-hop at the British Museum

wp_20160908_12_42_33_pro_liWe’re still being tourists in London. British Museum today, passing a Korean caff on the way. Korean is the second language on museum signage, Korean Airways sponsors the audio-guides, and we visited the Korean gallery. But this is what caught our eye.

Javanese shadow puppets. I’ve always liked them. Today though, I left warriors and gods aside, in favour of Sammy, Wayang hip-hop puppet. Isn’t he fine?