The Scherkenbachs go to South Korea

It's a rainy morning here in Seoul. When I checked the weather forecast leading up to this trip it showed rain every single day. As much as I've complained about the heat, we really have been very lucky with the weather. We had a couple hours of rain a few days ago when it really came down in buckets. But that's been about it. Today looks like a complete washout, but we are packing this morning and then are boarding a train for Gwangju. It looks like rain in the forecast for most of our days in Gwangju, all the days on Jeju Island, and most of our time in Busan. Let's hope that the forecast is wrong just like it was for Seoul. Last night we took a Han River Cruise. The subway ride there was quite easy. It was a much easier park to get to than the one Aiden and I visited a few nights back. Right by the boat launch there was the popular Korean convenience store, Nice to CU. The boys and I bought ramen. There were ramen making stations right there. Just as our ramen was ab...

When I was trying to learn Korean using Mango Languages, I often had to translate sentences about Namdaemun Market. "Where is Namdaemun Market?" "Is there a subway station near Namdaemun Market?" "Seoul Station is in front of Namdaemun Market." Sentences like that. I flew all the way over here, so I had to see what this market that I kept talking about actually looked like! We have tried many different ways to navigate the city. We've traveled by subway, bus, taxi, and we've walked. Yesterday we tried something new. We traveled by bike. Bikes are easy to rent here in Seoul. I had to download an app and then purchase a one day pass. A one day pass cost 1,000 won which is about 75 cents. So, for all 4 of us to use a bike throughout the day, it cost about $3.00. Quite the deal! I was the only one in the family who downloaded the app which did make things a bit tricky. I won't bore you with the details, but basically, the app is almost completely i...

 When I studied Korean through the app Mango Languages, I had to learn how to say, "Call 119" or "Please call an ambulance". I remember thinking that was such a strange thing to learn. When would I ever need to know how to say something like that?  I almost needed to speak those phrases yesterday. The day started out with a visit to a palace. I wanted the boys to see one palace while we were in Seoul. There is a palace very close to our apartment, but that one was closed on Tuesdays, so we went to another one that was about a 20 minute walk away. We are all growing weary of public transportation, so we are trying to find closer places to visit. We didn't make it in time for the English speaking tour, so we just navigated the grounds on our own. It was very cheap to visit. The boys were free and adult tickets were 2,000 won a piece which is about $1.50. We also visited the art museum while we were there which was another $1.50 to enter.  The buildings were beauti...

Yesterday was rainy. Maybe that was the reason. I'm not sure. But yesterday everybody's nerves were a bit on edge. Or maybe it was only me. I was short tempered. We are having a wonderful time and the good times outweigh the bad by leaps and bounds. But we are all living in close proximity to each other. Public transportation can be hot and is often extremely crowded. And this girl needs her alone time. I've had none which can make life rough for those around me. Despite it all, we still had fun times yesterday. I booked us tickets to a show called The Painters. I found them mentioned on a travel blog and it sounded like they were street performers. Now they have graduated to a full blown show in a theater. They are difficult to describe. They are dancers/artists/comedians/ all with a K Pop boy band vibe. Twice during the show they scanned the audience with their camera to find someone to come on stage. And guess who was chosen? None other than our own Lucas Scherkenbach! H...