July 4th and Pierrot Strike

In true American style for July 4th we found a patch of cement, grabbed some beer and enjoyed blowing s%&# up to celebrate. We ended up having a decent group of Americans to spent it with and even our favorite Scotsman!



We had originally planned to take a river cruise to celebrate my birthday, but the rain would not let up. After some searching, I found a place called Pierrot Strike in Apgujeong. We love to explore new places and don't mind dragging other foreigners along! This place was a bit pricey and the service was a bit off, but the darts, pool and disco bowling made up for it! A game of bowling was 5,000 won per person and the shoe rental was 1,500 won. They didn't offer Cass, but did sell Bud on tap for 7,000 a glass! Get in early because we waited over 3 hours for a lane! It was a very good birthday overall!





Great form Serg!

My birthday buddy, Dickie!

Samcheong dong

The countdown to departure has begun! One rainy afternoon, we dusted off some of our travel guides (thinking we should try and make the most of our last few weekends), and searched for a new spot to tuck into. Lonely Planet Seoul provided a very detailed walking tour in between the palaces. We stumbled upon Samcheong dong and loved it! It is just up the road from the tourist haven that is Insadong. Samcheong is filled with art galleries, cafes, boutiques and the super chic. This area has a very interesting juxtaposition of old and new Korea. Most of the buildings are part of the Bukchon Hanok Village. These traditional houses are called 'hanok' and date back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). While the exterior seems traditional, the interior boasts of something modern and innovative. One coffee shop we stumbled into was truly an experience. We were given the menu and first asked to pick a bean. The list was from all over the world, including Kenya, Costa Rica, and even Yemen! After that, we were asked to choose the brewing method. Of course the menu was all in Korean, so pictures helped a lot in this bit. Neither french press nor a traditional espresso machine were choices. Here they pictured all sorts of single-serve methods, each accompanied with an astronomical price! The coffee was delicious and well worth the twenty minute wait!

The menus were all written by hand. 

Strolling through the streets we noticed the overabundance of Italian restaurants. While they had plenty of traditional Korean food, every other door seemed to read  'Wine, Pizza, Pasta, Salad'. We tried one called Flora, which they advertised as belonging to a Korean chef with loads of awards under his belt. The red wine was wonderful, the fried mozzarella life changing and the spinach smoked cheese pasta was to die for! Living so much out of our normal element, it sure was nice to have a meal where the courses were separate and our water glasses were...well, glasses... and not paper cups. Samcheong you have won us over!

Old...

... meets new!

To get there go to Anguk station exit 5 and walk to the first corner. Take a right and follow the stone wall until it opens up to shops and restaurants. Enjoy!

Old Tea Shop, Insadong

The rainy season is upon us here is South Korea. Being from the Pacific Northwest we thought we had seen all types of rain, but we were wrong. It rains sideways here! We set out for one of Korea's most famous tea shops. All of the traditional tea shops are located in the tourist area of Insadong, but we were surprised when we found this spot to be a hidden gem full of birds flying around! It is called the Old Tea Shop. Hidden down one of Insadong's many side streets was a creaky old staircase leading to a little piece of Korea we will never forget. We tucked ourselves away in one of the corners, watched the rain fall, tried to talk to the birds and sipped on pear tea just like the Joseon kings would. We left feeling we had experienced a bit of Korean culture we had been craving since our arrival.

The bathroom with rocks at your feet and an open bowl with some fish swimming around. Reason enough to make a visit.