Korean Spring

Even though we could have done without the week long stay in two different Korean hospitals for Ava, we were able to enjoy a short visit from Nonni, be surrounded by thousands of dainty blossoms and eat gobs of delicious Korean goodies to make up for that. Oh and I turned 30. No big deal.

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Happy (belated) Spring!

Austrian food + Lucy Pie + Lanterns in Seoul

Oh Seoul. You glorious city, you. 

Unless you are driving, have a stroller, and/or a Korean GPS. 

Then you suck.
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I think it's pretty much assumed that when people come to South Korea the only city that comes to mind is Seoul. 

And I love Seoul... I especially like that there is an Army base located right on the outskirts of the city where we usually stay and walk to major sites.

But staying on an Army base isn't immersive so I booked myself and my parents a lovely room at a guesthouse. 

The look on my dad's face at "check-in" was priceless. 

Guesthouse translate to guests in one's house.

No lie. 

But before we found our "hotel," we got so lost in the city that we had to park in a parking garage and our lovely host had to come find us and take our poor, pitiful selves to her home. 

City hall recently changed the street names so our GPS was rendered useless.
Thank God a young Korean man took pity on my mother and was able to get us help.
If not for him, I would have ditched the whole idea and gone home.
Making matters worse my phone was minutes away from dying and the number I had burned up my battery calling was not correct.
Once we were rescued by our host and arrived at our guesthouse - learning then that we were literally bunking in one wing of these lovely people's apartment, shit got real.
No, seriously, our accommodations were great.
Centrally located, beautiful views, parking and breakfast!
That makes for a happy girl.
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See? Beautiful view...

I'm sure Seoul has thousands upon thousands of places to eat but we can never find one when we're really hungry. We settled for Paris Croissant which is a popular chain in Asia and I will say... their warm grapefruit juice changed my life. Delish.

We stumbled upon a book festival in the city.

And they were gearing up for Christmas at Namdaemun market.

And I picked up one of these egg buns because when I asked a young man about them he said they are a must have in Korea. The bread was really nice... a little sweet... but the egg in the center just didn't do it for me. Cross that off my list of Korean street food.

Our visit conveniently took place during the Seoul Lantern Festival. I really wanted to go because it only happens once a year and it's always nice when you can show your company something special like this. We went right when they opened (after having been out all day long) and even before it got really dark, it was still pretty.

This event is free and stroller friendly (they even have a nursing room if needed).

Another day another picture of our view...

My mom wanted to visit Myeongdong Cathedral in... Myeongdong. It's the most well known Catholic church in Korea. We had a great lunch of beef bulgogi and then walked up this giant hill to look at the church. My mom and her churches.

And now I'm going to plug a little business because I said I would. And it's my blog and I can do shameless plugs if I want to. The Lucy Pie Kitchen is totally adorable and I'm sorry (not sorry) to say that we ended each evening right here with Lucy. It was bliss. 

While living in Germany, I wanted for no pastry. Their sweets often blow American pastries out of the water (in my opinion), however, I sometimes would miss a nice warm crumble (a la mode) or berry pie right about mid-Summer. 

Flash forward a year and every "sweet" thing I've tried in Korea (bingsu excluded) has been lack luster. 

Then we found this place. 

Pecan pie (a rarity here), sweet potato pie, mud pie, blueberry cheesecake all packaged in this little 'I Love Lucy' themed cafe? Heaven. 

And the employees... super nice.

I need this place in my life.

You want pie now, don't you? 

Okay, anyways, our last day we were able to visit the National Museum of Korea and the area of Itaewon. Not before getting lost but that's water under the bridge. 

We had a great lunch at Chef Meili- a small Austrian restaurant right here in Korea before a brief walk in the rain and a long drive home.

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Don't have the luxury of staying on a military base in Seoul? Seriously, the River View House was awesome. A wonderful family operates the entire thing and they could not have been more welcoming.

Public transportation nearby, lots of little restaurants, within walking distance to Yongsan station, and did I mention that view? I booked it here.

More information regarding Chef Meili and their restaurant/delicatessen can be found here.

Seoul Lantern Festival here.

That glorious little pie shop, find directions here.

And lastly, if you want to read about how Seoul warmed my heart and cured my cold, click here!

Chicken soup for the Seoul

I was feeling a little stir crazy as Rhett's birthday approached. I really wanted to DO something, GO somewhere, SEE something outside of our everyday. I get like that sometimes. Maybe that's why being a military spouse suits me... I crave new experiences. We were getting kind of close to our three month mark and I felt like we hadn't really accomplished much and I don't like that feeling. I had the Korean Head Start to look forward to the week after Rhett's birthday but my experience was cut short thanks to a very glamorous sinus infection accentuated by strep throat. Lucky me. Instead of frolicking around the Korean Folk Village with our class, I was sitting in the waiting room of our health clinic with a sleeping baby, praying for a large dose of antibiotics. 

Or a beheading. 

Whichever one would alleviate the pounding taking place deep inside of my skull. The only thing that broke my heart more than missing the folk village was potentially missing our weekend trip to Seoul. Thankfully, the doctor took pity on me and prescribed me all sorts of potent goodies and said I should be feeling a little better by Sunday. Even though he lied, I decided a little heart and Seoul was just what I needed to beat this thing.... 

We stayed on Yongsan Army Base because it is literally in the heart of the city and it's really cheap for  ID card holders. They also have an information desk manned by locals who can help you get all the information you need during your stay in Seoul. 

The weather was WONDERFUL and so despite feeling like pooh, we pressed on. We spent two days using the Seoul City Bus Tour (Hop on, Hop off) and one day using public transportation (subway). We ate, shopped, walked and soaked in the beauty of Seoul. As far as big cities go, this has to be one of my favorites. Even though you can hardly understand each other, the people are SO welcoming, kind, patient and helpful. Especially with your children.

 Also, you could explore things all day long without spending one cent. There are interesting things around every corner whether it be art, parks, or monuments. We spent a lot of time just walking and playing. Even the places where you pay an entry fee are ridiculously affordable. The zoo (two adults and a rental stroller) cost us less than 15 USD. And even though Seoul isn't the most stroller friendly place I've been to, they have amazing changing and feeding rooms at every venue we visited. 

I'm sorry but any place that offers plush chairs, free water, and air conditioning for mommy and baby deserves a round of applause. 

Go Korea. 

By Tuesday, I was feeling a little bit better and I swear by the city of Seoul. It's a place that kind of makes you feel like you're wrapped in a big blanket, surrounded by thousands of your closest friends while eating a giant plate of soft, steamed mandu. 

It's good for the soul. 

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N.Seoul Tower

Oh, how comforting.

Gyeongbokgung Palace where we saw the changing of the guards...

Outside the Korean War National Museum (literally a 5 minute walk from our hotel)...

We opted not to do the museum thing on this trip because we only had a single stroller and Rhett was a wild man.  You can explore the planes and tanks for free though and that made Rhett happy.

I had planned on taking us to the trick eye museum but after multiple toddler meltdowns we decided something a little more kid friendly was in order and we opted for the zoo. We took the subway which was an adventure but we made it and were thankful we didn't have to use the gas masks made available at the subway station.

Itaewon- A popular place for shopping and expats. Considering I wasn't in the market for luggage, size 0 clothing and souvenirs made in China... I wasn't that enthused by this place.

I pretty much demanded that we get off our bus when I saw these mosaic poop statues. There is something with Koreans, poop and farts. It's quite humorous. Rhett likes to watch this cartoon where one of the buses is loved because he farts a lot. In fact, there is one episode where a little boy is so upset because his replacement can't fart. It's all very interesting.

Namdaemun Market... awesome. 

According to TIME travel, it's the #6 thing to do when in Seoul. 

Do it. Do it alllll day long. It's awesome.

I got an eye exam, new glasses and freshly steamed mandu all within an hour.

You can't beat that.

And the below picture made the entire trip worth it for me. The guy who made my glasses threw these in for free. :)

Oh and I got interviewed by a reporter for Seoul's Financial News. The article is in Korean but it still counts as something, right? 

Read more about Seoul and the top 10 things to do (according to TIME) here.