Sunday Part Two

This is Michelle and Emily standing in the upstairs foyer of Samil Church.

After church, the bookstore and passing the American Embassy we walked toward the Cheongwadae but kind of veered right in front of that strange building. We walked toward the Gyeongbok Palace which houses the Korean Folk Museum.

On the way in we passed some food stands. This one was selling chesnuts (roasted on a small propane burner) and the bugs (which I have now learned to smell from a block away. Not sure I am happy about that.) and something that looks like frenchfries but I think might be fish or something different (honestly, I didn't have time to stop and look.)

We tried some chesnuts. They were pretty good. Softer than I had thought. I don't know that I have had fresh roasted chesnuts before. Maybe, a long time ago...?

The details on the buildings are incredible. It is one thing I have noted and loved about the many different asian cultures that I feel shames much western culture and that is the intricacies of the details. Yes, in Europe and older buildings there are the carved beams and more ornate ornamentation, but traditional asian architecture (in my opinion) is far more striking.




We see these birds commonly. They are quite large, like an American crow, but so pretty. I don't remember seeing something exactly like this in the states. I asked Emily and she said it was a Magpie. I looked it up and here is a page with many different myths, legends and stories about the Korean Magpie.
The ones we see look like this one:
Apparently Magpies are common all over the world, but I do not remember seeing them on the east coast. *shrug* Maybe I don't know what I am looking for.

Here is a picture of Michelle and me standing outside of the Korean Folk Museum (it is located under this amazing structure.)




I liked this picture even though the banner is backward so the Korean is backwards. It was outside a representation of a traditional Korean pharmacy where herbs were hung to dry, etc.

The outside of the building, looking up from the left side outside the entrance to the Folk Museum.

More Details:

Inside the museum was an example of the paintings that were used on the interior roofs of many traditional structures. If I ever own a house again, maybe I should try this in some room.

I thought this was interesting:


I have not researched this but I remember catching the blurb on a tabloid as I was leaving the states about how Matthew McConaughey saved his son's placenta to replant it. I will have to research this more.

This is how the Koreans used to iron their clothes/cloth:
I thought it was interesting. They heated the iron, the placed the fabric on it and rolled it out with the wooden rods. Makes sense.

Michelle and I standing in front of a lighted display inside the museum.


After the museum Emily took us to a famous area in Seoul called Samcheong-dong which is littered with cafes, bistros and boutiques. It is very architecturally diverse and intersting. Things are trendy and eclectic and slightly eccentric. I would love to spend more time puttering around, but it was cold and we were needing to head home.


Lastly a few pictures of Seoul near Seoul Station. Blurry because I was walking and it was dusk.


Alright. I gotta get dressed for class, clean up the room a little and get outa here! Sleep well America. See you in the morning!