The mixing pot & pizza galore!
I left off on Friday evening, saying that Taylor and I stayed in, and though that is true, I completely forgot what we did while we stayed in (because I had no pictures in my phone of it, so in my short-termed memory of a mind, we did nothing noteworthy), but in actuality, we messaged our lovely co-people to see if anyone wanted to come to our humble abode for some card games, and Danella, Aaron and Caroline took us up on the offer and we played a couple rounds of Fluxx. It was a great laid-back night and hopefully we can wrangle people up for a game night weekly (hint hint if any of your are reading this :D). I really like card games, and I think Taylor and I will be investing in Munchkins and Cards Against Humanity after our first paycheck. But now that my conscious is clear for Friday and I feel like I have more honestly represented what my and Taylor's evening entailed...on to Saturday!
Taylor and I have been going on and on and on about how excited we are for spring and summer and the warmth (or insane heat and humidity according to coworkers) that will come with it. We would just love to wander different subway exits or areas, explore in the most basic of ways, but we have done very little of that due to the chilly winds and less-than-comfortable temps. However, last Saturday (not yesterday, but last weekend's Saturday) was 67 and sunny which was good enough for Taylor and I to make good on our wandering Seoul desires :)
We took the subway down line 6 (the brown line and the one that ends in the East at Bonghwasan, our home), getting off at Hapjeong, which is usually where we switch to the green line/loop to get to Hongdae, but this time we walked it. Here is what we found!
But first, let me take a selfie, er, selca. Taylor's hair was on point that day and I wanted to immortalize it's perfection via photographic records, and of course, I have in a hair-band-bow.
And now, for the best instructions-by-picture in all of the Seoul subways;
Yes, yes I know the picture is actually telling you to not get your foot trapped in the escalator cracks as it will surely suck you down into a mechanical world like the matrix, but still, I can pretend it says no Crocs if I want.
Next up, as we left the subway. we exited immediately into a large outdoor/indoor mall, not only was it b-e-a-u-tiful, it was quite well stocked with brands and shops I know, however we were not in the shopping mood (its hard to shop when you're going on five weeks in a new country without pay), so we snapped some photos, promised ourselves (at least one of us did) that we would return, and were off along the busy streets!
Taylor looking very cool as we walked by a private home...
I thought the old white-wood trees along the road were mighty cool...
A cutely named shop...
(I LOVE the names of places here, very creative and/or cutesie. Korea does love all things cute!)
A random tree with about 10 balloon creations decorating its bare branches...
There are also many graffiti walls (more artistic than vandalism I think) in Seoul, there are also many 'poster walls' which tell of events coming up, the above shows some we passed.
And it isn't a true trip to Hongdae without at least a bit of watching street performers, but Taylor and I were quite peckish (British word for you there!) and decided to hunt down some grub.
Fanfare please?
We found quite possibly where I would like to be buried when I die, probably from lethal levels of overeating; Pizza Mall. A buffet where they serve international pizza (such as Chicago style deep dish, MMMHHHMMM), chicken dishes, pasta, salads, ice cream, frozen fruit salads, soups, honey-butter chips (which you would think aren't as good as salty ones, WRONG, they are God's apology for spiders I think), churros and a whole slew of other foods. Luckily, I photographed everything I put on my plate, so again, no judging the insane number of servings I'm about to share with you...I was hungry, and self-control around pizza and fried things has never been a boasting point of mine.
In the order in which they appear; pineapple (probably my favorite fruit lately), a fruit that looked neat but was better-evolved than I, as both Taylor and I couldn't figure out how to peel/open/eat it, steak fries with garlic and on the far right of the first plate; calamari. Second; corner of a plain pepperoni pizza which was all right, then a nutella/banana deep dish (yes, there is still cheese on it), a balsamic steak pizza slice, and a sweet potato/egg/ham slice which was unique, but not my favorite mix of flavors I've ever tried.
On to dessert! On the far left are 'chocolate chips' hardy har har, which were just little crispy cookie-ish things with chocolate drizzled on them, quite good, and aptly named, then fruit salad again, and then...the reason I may have to be buried at Pizza Mall, honey-butter chips. When I first saw them, glistening with what I assumed was oil and salt, I was very excited...then I took a bite...sweet. Well of course it is. But then I had a another and I realized it was the best chip I had ever had! The honey-butter mixture drenching the chips was absolute deadly-perfection and I had more than my fair share of them... Next up is ice cream with a chip garnish...and then chips and churros with blueberry sauce and cream. Wow. I'm a new found fan of desserts!
After we were at least a couple pounds heavier than when we entered, we made our exit, and off to Danella's flat! Below shows both the Korean polite tradition of leaving your shoes at the door, and the chaos that ensues when westerners take up the habit as well.
One of the teachers (Danella) had to switch rooms from hers to Kyle's (the American who just left the week before) so she decided to have a house-warming party, so to speak. It was quite fun and she had many international friends which made the spread at the party very neat; India, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, American, and all over the UK. It was hilarious just trying to get all the different accents to be able to say names from other areas (like Snehin, Usman, Woojin, Bona, and of course, Tierney). It was a very fun time and a great way to get to know people I would have otherwise never met. I had particularly good conversations with a man named Snehin from India who is volunteering with underprivileged children in SK currently while we works on his degrees, while Taylor got along very well with Usman, from Pakistan, who is going for computer design/digital design, specializing in gaming. Overall it was a wonderful night, and when Taylor and I got tired, we simply needed to walk up a flight of stairs and we were home :)
Now Sunday's post will be quite lengthy, as some of the DOCS gals went to Paju (one of the closest points to North Korea, where you can peer over the river at them as they peer back at you) and then to an art village which was one of the coolest things I have seen to date. So I shall save that for the morning, as it is almost 1:00am and Taylor and I want some Netflix before sleep.
All of my love and much more to come,
Tea
P.s. Two things, that I will attempt to make brief; first, our bathroom (it came like this we promise). I all of a sudden realized I hadn't shared this happy little guy with the world yet...so here is our overly-pleased toilet! Its okay, the below picture is completely appropriate.
Taylor and I have been going on and on and on about how excited we are for spring and summer and the warmth (or insane heat and humidity according to coworkers) that will come with it. We would just love to wander different subway exits or areas, explore in the most basic of ways, but we have done very little of that due to the chilly winds and less-than-comfortable temps. However, last Saturday (not yesterday, but last weekend's Saturday) was 67 and sunny which was good enough for Taylor and I to make good on our wandering Seoul desires :)
We took the subway down line 6 (the brown line and the one that ends in the East at Bonghwasan, our home), getting off at Hapjeong, which is usually where we switch to the green line/loop to get to Hongdae, but this time we walked it. Here is what we found!
And now, for the best instructions-by-picture in all of the Seoul subways;
Don't wear Crocs!
Yes, yes I know the picture is actually telling you to not get your foot trapped in the escalator cracks as it will surely suck you down into a mechanical world like the matrix, but still, I can pretend it says no Crocs if I want.
A 'parking lot' for when you are tight on lateral space...
(I LOVE the names of places here, very creative and/or cutesie. Korea does love all things cute!)
Officially in the Hongdae area now, where the buildings get a little bigger and the sidewalks get a little busier...
Another cleverly named place we saw as we waited for the crosswalk. It is called "the ____." and then beneath it reads "but first, coffee"
Fanfare please?
We found quite possibly where I would like to be buried when I die, probably from lethal levels of overeating; Pizza Mall. A buffet where they serve international pizza (such as Chicago style deep dish, MMMHHHMMM), chicken dishes, pasta, salads, ice cream, frozen fruit salads, soups, honey-butter chips (which you would think aren't as good as salty ones, WRONG, they are God's apology for spiders I think), churros and a whole slew of other foods. Luckily, I photographed everything I put on my plate, so again, no judging the insane number of servings I'm about to share with you...I was hungry, and self-control around pizza and fried things has never been a boasting point of mine.
Frozen fruit salad which was a-maze-ing, as it tasted fresh and cold and juicy all at once. Taylor and I went for many, many servings of this...I mean, fruit's healthy, right? The two slices of the chicago deep dish which was by far the best pizza they made, another normal pepperonie pice hidden beneath the others and a spicy chicken number that I was a fan of as well, probably my second favorite one.
On to dessert! On the far left are 'chocolate chips' hardy har har, which were just little crispy cookie-ish things with chocolate drizzled on them, quite good, and aptly named, then fruit salad again, and then...the reason I may have to be buried at Pizza Mall, honey-butter chips. When I first saw them, glistening with what I assumed was oil and salt, I was very excited...then I took a bite...sweet. Well of course it is. But then I had a another and I realized it was the best chip I had ever had! The honey-butter mixture drenching the chips was absolute deadly-perfection and I had more than my fair share of them... Next up is ice cream with a chip garnish...and then chips and churros with blueberry sauce and cream. Wow. I'm a new found fan of desserts!
After we were at least a couple pounds heavier than when we entered, we made our exit, and off to Danella's flat! Below shows both the Korean polite tradition of leaving your shoes at the door, and the chaos that ensues when westerners take up the habit as well.
Now Sunday's post will be quite lengthy, as some of the DOCS gals went to Paju (one of the closest points to North Korea, where you can peer over the river at them as they peer back at you) and then to an art village which was one of the coolest things I have seen to date. So I shall save that for the morning, as it is almost 1:00am and Taylor and I want some Netflix before sleep.
All of my love and much more to come,
Tea
P.s. Two things, that I will attempt to make brief; first, our bathroom (it came like this we promise). I all of a sudden realized I hadn't shared this happy little guy with the world yet...so here is our overly-pleased toilet! Its okay, the below picture is completely appropriate.
Isn't that precious? Now for the second item of business, back to Pizza Mall!
Taylor and I sat next to a glass wall that overlooked the down-escalator (as Pizza Mall was on the second floor of a tall-ish building), however the escalator stopped working as we ate and we had the joy of watching the confusion ensue when people would round the corner to be confronted by the broken escalator. You could almost see the thoughts cross people's faces.
"Oh, this is broken, well I can't use it then...wait."
"Oh, this is broken, I'm stuck up here! ...wait"
"Oh, this is broken, fine I'll just take the stairs...wait."
"Oh, this is broken, it's not safe to use then...wait."
Taylor and I laughed and laughed (discreetly, usually, since they could see us through the glass wall too) as we watched people tentatively tap a toe on the first stair, before cautiously flattening their foot, and beginning to slowly walk down as they grabbed the railing like the entire staircase may collapse beneath them. But by far our favorite was an older woman who looked at the steps, looked to her friends, and then preceded to turn around and walk down the escalator backwards, as if she were climbing down a ladder. That one almost made Taylor choke on his pizza. Afterall, a broken escalator is just stairs people!
Okay, now for bed. Much love.
Tea
Comments
Post a Comment