“Seoul, the Soul of Asia”. This is the slogan of the city, but I do not think they should go that far. My limited knowledge of Asia already lets me realize that there is not such a thing like “Asia” as a unique thing… exactly the same as in Europe, even if we try to build a consolidated image of the continent. In Korea, it is the same. If you have visited other countries like China or Korea, you will probably find many similarities, although going down to the detail, things are not the same.
Korea is in fact in a war. No peace agreement has been signed between South Korea and North Korea, and hence, they are technically in war. Fortunately, you do not have the feeling of being in a country in war while walking around Seoul. In fact, you feel very safe in the city.
The life in the city reminds me a lot to Tokyo. Millions of people moving around, working long hours, but also enjoying their lives afterwork. This makes this city a non-stop city, vibrant 24/7. Traffic jams are perennial, and you can always find open shops, restaurants and bars to accomodate to any schedule you may have.
The architecture is also very particular for that area of the world, where brand new skyscrapers share their block with a tiny 2-floor building, giving a personal touch to many neighborhoods. This mixture of architecture styles is something that I personally enjoy very much.
The main spots for the visitors, apart from wandering among skyscrapers, are several palaces next to each other, that have been home of the different dinasties that ruled Korea until the beginning of the 20th Century.
In between these palaces, the Bukchon Hanok Village can also be found. It is a neighborhood compounded by Hanoks, which are traditional Korean houses. In the good old times, Korea was full of these kind of buildings, but now they are only a few. This area tries to keep the essence of this, as through some investments, hanoks can also be comfortable nowadays.
As a summary, I would say Seoul is okay for a weekend visit if you happen to be in the area, and it can also be used as a first step to get to know the rest of the Korean Peninsula.
Many more pictures from Seoul in this slideshow.
Korea is different. Here you are a list of things that I lived during my last stay in Korea, and which are not common in some other parts of the world:
I have recently added a new country to my list: Korea. For business reasons, I spent 60 hours in Seoul, and had the chance to get a first impression on this city, which I want to share with you.
After my departure from Tokyo, this was my return to Far East, and could not avoid making comparisons. In fact, Seoul and Tokyo are very similar cities. Both are highly populated, and hence full of skyscrapers, and they also lack of town planning laws like we have in Europe, so that you can find in between two skyscrapers, a small one-floor shop. In this part of the world, life is continous: in many areas of the city, business do not close as people stay until really late in the office, and of course, they must have their chance to spend their money…
I also had the opportunity to enjoy the Korean food, and here I did encounter some differences. Korean food in general is more spicey, and there is a dish always present on the table, kimchi, and which is quite unique. Some other things reminded me to Japanese cuisine, but they were different. For example, noodles are quite common too, but they are not exactly as in Japan. I know at this point you are expecting me to mention dog meat. Well, I did not try it this time, maybe next time…
More pictures from Seoul in this slideshow.
