Seoul Trip 2015 Day 4 Part 1

Today we are off to N Seoul Tower, a popular attraction seen in quite a number of Korean dramas. I never thought I would one day visit this place lol. Juliane and I met Liyana and her sister at Myeong-dong station and from there, we walked to Namsan Orumi which is a slanted elevator connecting Namsan Tunnel 3 to the Namsan cable car. We then took the Namsan cable car up Mt Namsan and walked to N Seoul Tower.

Walking to Namsan Orumi, following Liyana's lead :)

Namsan Orumi, the slanted elevator

Juliane getting onto the cable car

Us in the cable car

Hazy view :(

Unfortunately, the weather was hazy so we didn't go up to the observatory. If not for the hazy weather, the view would have been superb. We walked around the area, saw the Mongmyeoksan Beacons (an alarm system used in the Joseon period to warn of enemy attacks) and the Locks of Love, and visited the souvenir shop. I bought a number of post-it pads, my Kryptonite lol. :P

Mongmyeoksan Beacons

N Seoul Tower

Seoul shrouded in haze

The famous Locks of Love - placed by couples in love as a sign of their love

Waiting for the elevator to go back down

We went back to Myeong-dong station and parted ways with Liyana and her sister. They went back to pack up as it is their last day in Seoul while Juliane and I proceeded to Myeong-dong for lunch. We shopped a little after our lunch before going to our next destination. 

Power Lunch Set for 9900 won - Main+drink
Mains: Carbonara and Shrimp Spinach Risotto

Saw the advert for cat cafe. We are so coming here!

After lunch, we made our way to Namdaemun Market which is one station stop away from Myeong-dong. Heard it is the largest market in Korea so we decided to take a look. The entire market is huge and split into many sections: Watches Alley, Stationery Alley, Ginseng/ Boiled-fish Alley, Imported Goods Arcade, Lady Arcade, Fisheries Arcade, Accessory/ Noodles Arcade, etc. We didn't go round to all the sections, just a few and only a cursory glance, :P 

We walked to Sungnyemun Gate from Namdaemun Market. The original gate was built in 1398. Unfortunately a fire broke out and inflamed the gate. Restoration work was carried out and the gate was re-opened to the public in 2013.

We could have walked to Seoul Station from Sungnyemun Gate but knowing my navigation skills, we decided to walked back to Hoehyeon Station at Namdaemun Market to go to Seoul Station, one stop away. Come to think of it, most of the attractions and shopping areas are close to each other, often within walking distance (10-20 minutes).
Once we stepped out of Seoul Station, I realised the surrounding was terribly unfamiliar, especially we have been to Lotte Mart before. Oh well, I got us lost again. Might as well get an Iced Honey Lemon Tea from Coffee Bean before trying to get my bearing again haha. A nice man pointed out to us where Lotte Mart was when I played charade with him. It is on the opposite side of the two-way traffic! It's a blessing in disguise, at least we got to see Culture Station Seoul 284 close up. Otherwise, coming from where we did the last time, we totally missed this historical/ cultural building. 

We went to Lotte Mart. This time, we took more time to look around Lotte Mart, not just the fresh food/food section but the other sections as well. We were really surprised to see an animal clinic and pet shop within Lotte Mart (2nd floor). 

Fresh shellfish

Various kim-chi and side dishes

Koreans love their Spam

Never seen so many kinds of rice in convenient to cook packages!

Marieann would love these!

Familiar brands but in Korean :)

One-stop animal clinic cum pet shop
Selling birds, fighting fish, horn beetles, fishes, rabbits, mice and hedgehogs!

Yup, hedgehogs for sale 

We went home with a bag full of goodies for ourselves and for our family. :) We rested for the rest of the afternoon until we decided to venture out for the first time we are in Seoul at night. 

Goodies from The FaceShop, Myeong-dong

Lotte Mart goodies :)

Read the next post for our Seoul Trip 2015 Day 4 Part 2 about our night adventure. :)