Changeable weekend

Saturday

a storm is coming

I knew it was going to rain on Saturday, but I didn't realise that the world was about to end. There was a storm warning in the morning and on my two cautious trips outside my umbrella almost flew away. Brrr...

But since I had a lot of homework anyway, and I stress, a lot of homework, I used the time wisely. That's right. By watching YouTube. 😂

There is one thing I really like about the high-rise buildings in Korea. Every building has at least one shop, either a small restaurant, cafe or CVS (convenience store) downstairs.

In our building there is a Starbucks, a bakery, a Kimbab shop (which is like sushi, only instead of fish there are vegetables and meat in it) and a 무인매점 (무 mu = no, 인 in = person, 매 me = sale, 점 dschom = period).

There you can get sandwiches, fruit, drinks, a few frozen items, yoghurt, etc. You pay at a machine by scanning yourself - so on a trust basis.

For dinner I really wanted to eat something traditional Korean, but it was really difficult. Naver Maps says the shop is open, but whenever I go there (it's around the corner from me) I find the doors are closed. Even the locals can't explain this phenomenon. Anyway, I ended up with a salad bowl with buried buckwheat noodles.

Sunday

A day like a warm hug

As if someone up there knew everything very well, Sunday was a beautiful sunny day that warmed my heart and soul.

My teacher from the private lesson had recommended that I definitely visit the Seoul Forest when the weather was good, and I wanted to follow this tip today.

It takes a little over half an hour by bus. It's nice not to be underground for once and to be able to look at everything outside in detail. It's so busy everywhere that I can't help but wonder whether people ever long for the peace and quiet of country life. I'm just a country bumpkin at heart, what can you do? 😅

Fun fact: Seoul Forest is located in the Seongdong-gu district and is the third largest park in the capital. Once reserved for royal hunting, today locals and visitors can enjoy the fresh air of over 400,000 trees, look at flowers, observe animals, have a picnic and much more.

I've been to Seoul Forest before, but it was winter and, to be honest, pretty bleak. Also, two attractions that I would have liked to see were closed. And now I was finally able to do that! Number 1 was the insect garden.

Basically, the insect garden is a large greenhouse with a few plants and some very puny, tiny display cases/aquariums in which poor creatures have to eke out their existence. That's not what I had imagined and I was a little disappointed, to be honest.

But this disappointment was followed by an absolute highlight: the butterfly garden! It is a greenhouse with a circular path around which many different flowers are planted - and in which numerous butterflies live.

I have never seen so many butterflies at once, and everyone was so happy at the sight that it was contagious.

With a happy heart, I then continued my way through the park, past children's birthday parties and wedding photo shoots, family picnics and dates, deer enclosures, ponds, watercourses, flowers, bicycles, go-karts, strollers, scooters...

The path led me to the banks of the Han River, where I made myself comfortable on a bench with the snack I had brought with me. There was a lot going on on the bike path in front of me, so I watched people, enjoyed the view and read.

Fun fact: When the sun shines, the difference between Germans and Koreans becomes apparent. They dress really well: long sleeves, a sun hat with an extra wide brim, partial face covering, a parasol, etc. Just don't get a tan! The ideal of beauty here is to have the lightest skin possible. That's why many people wear makeup that is lighter than their natural skin color. It's basically the opposite of Germany or other countries, where people tend to wear dark makeup and use self-tanner.

There were a few shops near the Han River that I wanted to visit, so I eventually set off for Seongsu.

If you're wondering where this long list of shops comes from: I love watching vlogs about life in Seoul, where women with the same hobbies as me discover small shops and cafes. And I've saved them all on the map. 😅

I'll tell you how it is. Seongsu was too crowded for me. After the meditative environment in the forest, the crowds in the area were terrible. But of course, it was a Sunday, the weather was good, the area was popular - there was a lot going on.

I took refuge in the subway and went home. However, with a short stopover...

I had to change trains in Dongdaemun and got off to take a look at the DDP, have a snack and go to the pharmacy.

Fun fact: The Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) was designed by architect Zaha Hadid, who also designed the curved stairs on the Elbe promenade in Hamburg. The curved shapes are typical of her style. The DDP doesn't have a single corner. A great building!!

After I bought an anti-inflammatory ointment for my knee (thanks to Jiyeon, without whose advice I wouldn't be able to know and do so much here!!!), I bought a So-dok-so-dok (that stands for 소시지 so-schi-dschi = sausage and 떡 dok = rice cake) from the street vendor as a snack. Tried it for the first time and found it very tasty with the spicy sauce. (Spicy for me, but probably slightly spicy for others 😅)

The evening ended with homework and salad and a snack from the subway...