Why No Pictures?

I haven't put many pictures up as I am not traveling with a computer and therefore cannot get most of the photos out onto the interwebs. They are trapped in the digital vault that is my camera. Don't worry, I will update all of the posts with photos once I get access to them, probably in a little over a week. Until then, use your imagination...

Moeller goes back to School

I think today was one of the best days of the trip so far. I was lucky enough to go in and witness a day at Mike's elementary school in Waegwan.

Holy Palaces, Batman (6.27.14)

Ok, not really Holy Palaces, just a few fit for a King. But there is some amazing architecture and history right in the middle of Seoul.

First thing first, Mike Sobolak and I were reunited today after a 2-year hiatus. All day today was leading up to that moment. Seoul, you've been warned. More on that later...

Heading South (6.29.14)

Today was our last day in Seoul.

It was kind of a lazy Sunday. After we were up and checked out of the hostel, we went to the Dongdaemun Market. This market has been around since 1905. It is situated over 10 city blocks and has around 30,000 vendors situated inside it. Since, we were there a little early on a Sunday morning, there wasn't much happening. Some of the vendors were closed. That did not take away from absolutely huge this place was. We spent some time walking through. This particular market specializes in fashion and garments. There were some pretty impressive knock-offs. The best one was a clothing line called 'The Noble Face' (instead of the North Face). I may come back here next Monday afternoon as I pass through Seoul again on my way to the airport.  I am still looking for that shirt that has the Chicago Bears logo on it with 'Baltimore Red Wings' written under it.

Food, Culture, Food, Tea, Food... (6.28.14)

Today was the first full day of 'Mike and Chris take over Seoul' and boy, it was a successful one. The Day off with coffee, toast and eggs before we headed out.

Our first stop was the Jongmyo Shrine. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was constructed in 1394 and is considered to be the oldest royal Confucian Shrine. When it was built in 1394, it was the longest building in Asia. When a King or Queen died, a memorial tablet is placed inside a plain hall. This hall serves as a resting place the deceased person's soul. There are elaborate rituals that must happen each time a tablet was placed inside a hall. Traditionally, there would be three years between the death and the placement of the tablet inside the hall. The original shrine had 7 rooms and was eventually expanded to 19 as more Kings reigned over Korea. During the 7 Years War, the Japanese invaders burned most of the shrine down. The memorial tablets were saved by placing them in a commoners house and they were retrieved after the war and placed back into the repaired shrine. 

Namsan Park and North Seoul Tower (6.26.14 pt. 3)

Once I got back from the DMZ, I changed and headed out for Namsan Park. I had passed it my first night there and heard from a few peoe that the view there was amazing. Those people were not wrong. 

North Seoul Tower as seen from the National Museum of Korea

Korean DMZ (6.26.14 recap pt. 2)

Lunch for me was Bibimbap. It is a signature Korean dish with white rice, sautéed vegatables, chili pepper paste and topped with a fried egg. It was great. I can't wait to have it again.

Korean DMZ (6.26.14 recap pt. 1)

All I am doing today is taking in some of the culture Seoul has to offer. Yesterderay, however, was a different story.

The sun never set

I was on a flight for 13.5 hours to get to Seoul

Here is some science for you. If you travel opposite of the earth's rotation at 600 miles an hour or so, the sun never sets on you. Gotta love science and math.

More to come...