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Magical Lights by the River

Published: 21.09.2025

Euljiro-4
Euljiro-4
So, back into the Metro and ride one station further. Now we confidently head toward the bistro and turn into a backyard-like alley. In every country except China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, I would stop now and not go further, as I would suspect shady figures in such alleys. But we continue on and reach a charming bistro that doesn’t match its surroundings, with a young enthusiastic owner who immediately pulls out his smartphone to explain and show the offered food with translation features and photos. After our meal, we head to Makercity Sewoon at Sewoon Square right next door, which is Korea’s first big electronics shopping center, founded in 1968 and apparently hasn’t changed much since then. Since it’s still early evening, we try to reach the observation deck and walk down the narrow passage between many small shops, which are now mostly closed at this late hour. The observation deck is also closed, so we take a look around from the roof of Makercity Sewoon, peering into the surroundings - and thus about 50 years back in time. We gaze at old, closely packed rooftops. Soon, this area will likely also be affected by modernization, with glass facades dominating, as is already the case behind it. The modern steps towards the Jongmyo Shrine invite us to linger, but we now head down the other side of the building towards the Cheonggyecheon River, which lies in a basin. Once used as a sewage canal and hidden under a concrete cover beneath a highway, the paths along the small river have now become a popular walking and jogging route thanks to a massive renaturation project. We stroll along the river and notice that, due to the lower location, the refreshing wind from above is absent, allowing annoying insects to settle in. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful environment adorned with several design elements and art objects, like painted ceramic tiles with motifs from the imperial era and artistic bridge railings. At the Cheonggye2-ga Bridge, we briefly pop up on the street and walk to the Berlin Wall, a piece of which stands at the local Berlin Square. The city of Berlin constructed this square, in return for which the city of Seoul built the
So, back into the Metro and ride one station further. Now we confidently head toward the bistro and turn into a backyard-like alley. In every country except China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, I would stop now and not go further, as I would suspect shady figures in such alleys. But we continue on and reach a charming bistro that doesn’t match its surroundings, with a young enthusiastic owner who immediately pulls out his smartphone to explain and show the offered food with translation features and photos. After our meal, we head to Makercity Sewoon at Sewoon Square right next door, which is Korea’s first big electronics shopping center, founded in 1968 and apparently hasn’t changed much since then. Since it’s still early evening, we try to reach the observation deck and walk down the narrow passage between many small shops, which are now mostly closed at this late hour. The observation deck is also closed, so we take a look around from the roof of Makercity Sewoon, peering into the surroundings - and thus about 50 years back in time. We gaze at old, closely packed rooftops. Soon, this area will likely also be affected by modernization, with glass facades dominating, as is already the case behind it. The modern steps towards the Jongmyo Shrine invite us to linger, but we now head down the other side of the building towards the Cheonggyecheon River, which lies in a basin. Once used as a sewage canal and hidden under a concrete cover beneath a highway, the paths along the small river have now become a popular walking and jogging route thanks to a massive renaturation project. We stroll along the river and notice that, due to the lower location, the refreshing wind from above is absent, allowing annoying insects to settle in. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful environment adorned with several design elements and art objects, like painted ceramic tiles with motifs from the imperial era and artistic bridge railings. At the Cheonggye2-ga Bridge, we briefly pop up on the street and walk to the Berlin Wall, a piece of which stands at the local Berlin Square. The city of Berlin constructed this square, in return for which the city of Seoul built the
Seoul Garden
Seoul Garden
Berlin-Marzahn
Berlin-Marzahn
value
value
A little further down, under the Gwang Bridge, a colorful attraction is created with music and video projections in the water, as well as an immersive walkway, which can be experienced in this video: <a href='https://youtu.be/atpjbgNMboY'>Cheonggyecheon Seoul</a>. We enjoy the atmosphere in this place and linger there for some time. Finally, we go to Cheonggye Plaza and wave at Admiral Yi Sun-sin at the nighttime Gwanghwamun Plaza (see also blog post <a href='https://vakantio.de/xiefuzi-reise-blog/ikonen-der-koreanischen-geschichte'>“Icons of Korean History”</a>) before we disappear into the Metro Station for our ride back to the hotel.</p>
A little further down, under the Gwang Bridge, a colorful attraction is created with music and video projections in the water, as well as an immersive walkway, which can be experienced in this video: <a href='https://youtu.be/atpjbgNMboY'>Cheonggyecheon Seoul</a>. We enjoy the atmosphere in this place and linger there for some time. Finally, we go to Cheonggye Plaza and wave at Admiral Yi Sun-sin at the nighttime Gwanghwamun Plaza (see also blog post <a href='https://vakantio.de/xiefuzi-reise-blog/ikonen-der-koreanischen-geschichte'>“Icons of Korean History”</a>) before we disappear into the Metro Station for our ride back to the hotel.</p>
Magical Lights by the River
Magical Lights by the River
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Backyard-like Alley
Backyard-like Alley
Backyard-like Alley
Backyard-like Alley
Bistro Kuwak Kalguksu (꾸왁칼국수)
Bistro Kuwak Kalguksu (꾸왁칼국수)
Bistro Kuwak Kalguksu (꾸왁칼국수)
Bistro Kuwak Kalguksu (꾸왁칼국수)
Makercity Sewoon
Makercity Sewoon
Makercity Sewoon
Makercity Sewoon
Makercity Sewoon
Makercity Sewoon
On the Roof of Makercity Sewoon
On the Roof of Makercity Sewoon
Modernity Right Behind
Modernity Right Behind
Modernity Right Behind
Modernity Right Behind
Steps Towards Jongmyo Shrine
Steps Towards Jongmyo Shrine
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream

On our last evening in Seoul, we take a walk along the renatured banks of the Cheonggyecheon River. First, we need to refuel after a long day in museums, and I find the small bistro Kuwak Kalguksu (꾸왁칼국수) nearby our starting point on the internet. We travel from the Palace Museum to the Euljiro Metro Station and get off the Metro. While looking for the correct exit on the smartphone map, I can't find the bistro anymore; the streets look so different. What is going on? It takes me a few seconds to realize that we are at the wrong Metro station. We are at the

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South Korea
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