Seoul Day Tour

Seoul Fish Market
Our first stop this morning was the Seoul fish market. We did not go early in the morning to see the auction, but I wanted to walk around to see all of the fresh fish and other seafood. Compared to Tsukiji, the aisles were much wider, so there was a lot more room to move around. The fish seemed just as fresh, and we had a good time looking at what each vendor was selling. While walking, I encountered an upset fish, and the fish splashed me with his tail. Alexis also got a little wet when a clam squirted water on her. If we lived in Seoul, I would love to shop here on the weekends to cook up some good eats. On our way out, we picked up a few street snacks. We got a flat pancake-like food which was filled with a sugary substance. It was very sweet, and it tasted kind of a like the bread in a McGriddle sandwich.

Chicken Soup
Bori took us to a chicken soup restaurant for lunch today. The soup was served in the traditional Korean soup bowls, so the bowl was quite hot when they served it. The chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender, and was flavored with ginseng, a Korean fruit, and other unfamiliar spices. Inside the chicken in the soup was sticky rice. The large bowl of soup was also served with a Korean version of osekihan, and if I had to do a taste test, I would not be able to differentiate the Korean red rice we ate and traditional Japanese osekihan. Alexis and I had never had this kind of food before, but it was yummy and tasted healthy. Bori mentioned that people typically eat this soup on the hottest days of the year.

Imperial Palace and Secret Garden
We walked to the Imperial Palace and we watched the changing of the guard in front of the imperial palace. The Imperial Palace is quite a tourist attraction with so many people. There were lots of Korean families and foreign tourists. We were a little short on time, so we walked the grounds and took a few pictures before heading out to the Secret Garden. Bori made a 2:30 PM reservation for a tour of the Secret Garden. The 2:30 PM reservation was in English, and our tour group was huge. There may have been 60-70 people in our group, so at times it was a little more difficult to hear our tour guide. The grounds at the Secret Garden are beautiful. The trees, ponds, and other landscape create a serene oasis, and a nice getaway from the rest of Seoul. The tour was 90 minutes, and we snapped a number of pictures as we walked the grounds.

Afternoon Tea
After the Secret Garden Tour, we went to traditional afternoon tea. We shared some rice cake snacks, and tea. This tea place is unique because it's full of little birds. In the background, one can hear the little chirping in the background. After doing so much walking, it was nice to sit down and relax while enjoying tea. After our break, we continued to walk around the area, and we went to a multi-story outdoor mall filled with boutique shops. We shopped for a while before heading out to dinner.

Dinner was at a nearby noodle restaurant. We ordered Kalguksoo (similar to Japanese udon noodles in a chicken broth). We also ordered a seafood pancake and mandoo (steamed gyoza). I love noodles, and it was great to be able to eat some hot soup because the temperature dropped drastically late in the afternoon. Similar to other meals we enjoyed, the restaurant served a side of kimchi Before trying it, Bori warned us that the kimchi was a little different than other kimchis we had been eating. This kimchi was a little different because it was fresh. Rather than having kimchis ferment in a jar, this kimchi was crisper and had a stronger taste. It seemed to have a lot more of the dark red sauce and tons of garlic. It was quite strong, but very addicting. I just have eaten at least one plate of kimchi all on my own.