Staying on the South Side



Olympic Flame and surrounding neighborhood



Last Monday (December 27th) was the first day I had slept in (not counting the few "sick days" I took in December. Those were not relaxing "sleeping in" days...those were "If I get out of bed, my body will collapse" days. So they do not count) probably since my vacation in July. Korean class and Ecclesia have kept my weekends pretty busy, so it was nice to take a day ~ that was not even a weekend ~ and sleep in. Eventually though, you have to get up. The nice thing about Seoul is, there is always something going on. So even if you sleep in, nothing much is lost.

Monday, I stayed a little bit closer to home and explored Seoul south of the Han River. After a quick coffee, I set out for Olympic Park. I really like Olympic Park, because not only do I love the Olympics, but it's also the site of a historic earthen fortress, so it's a multi-layered cultural experience.

Seoul hosted the 1988 Olympics. At Olympic Park, you can see several of the sports arena including the velodrome, tennis courts, gymnastics hall, and swimming pool. Winding trails lead around the park to monuments, sculptures, and the Mongchon Earthen Fortress (Mongchontoseong). When the weather is warm, it is the perfect place for jogging or cycling. If if happens to be lightly snowing though, it makes a pretty good back-drop for an afternoon stroll. ^^

We took Line 2 from Yeoksam to Jamsil, then transferred to Line 8 and rode 1 stop to Mongchontoseong. I was surprised by how close it was! At Mongchontoseong, we left out of Exit 1. Immediately, you are faced with the Peace Gate. This is truly a breath-taking experience. To stand, in front of this huge structure topped with the Olympic Rings, and know that you are standing where history took place...where only 20 or so years ago, all the eyes of the world were watching this spot. And you are there now. It's amazing.

There was a large Christmas tree put up for the holidays and even a skate rink! I love seeing holiday spirit.



Flags of the Nations, Olympic Park

After the Peace Gate, one of my other favorite sites is the flag pavilion. This is a large semi-circle featuring flags from all the nations that participated in the 1988 games. It looks out over a lake and the rest of the park. Again, it's just one of those feelings that's like, *wow* at one point in time, people from all over the world were here, and even though it's after the fact...being there is like still participating...as if you are still able to bask in all the energy and excitement that happened during the '88 Olympics.

Happy New Year from Olympic Park



We walked around the park and saw several different facilities. By the time it was dark, we decided to head on our next stop....but again, were awestruck by the Peace Gate at night. I know, I'm totally dorking out about the Olympics...I'm not even athletic...but the Olympics have always seemed like this magical time to me where people from all over the world could come together and at least have a shot at trying for their dreams. It's like a 2-week long Christmas festival in my mind. So being able to be where the Olympics took place: always takes my breath away.

OK, our next stop was COEX. I mean, what's living in Gangnam if you don't go to COEX? So we traveled back to Jamsil and got on the Green Line to Samseong, exit 6. COEX, if you haven't been there yet, is a humongous complex including a shopping mall, exhibit hall, convention center, movie theater, and aquarium. Our plan was to see the aquarium, but we got there a little too late. No worries! COEX Mall has more than 260 shops and is the largest underground shopping mall in Asia.

After meandering around COEX, I felt we needed to fit one more cultural experience in. And here comes one of those "You know you're X when Y" moments. As in, "You know you're in Asia, when you can just say, 'Now, I know there's a temple around here somewhere...'" Kind of cliche, sorry, but I did know that there was a temple close to COEX!



Lanterns at Bongeunsa Temple



Mountain-top Buddha in the middle of Gangnam.



Bongeunsa Temple can also be found from Samseong Station, exit 6. It was built in 794 by the Venerable Yeonhoe. It used to be the largest temple in Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. I wasn't real sure what the policy was for entering a temple at night, but we saw a few others walking around the grounds. It probably seemed strange to them to see 2 foreigners poking around a Buddhist Temple at night. Being on temple grounds is a perfect illustration of the beautiful juxtaposition that is modern Korea. In the heart of one of the busiest districts of Seoul is a tranquil mountain temple, where quiet visitors light candles and incense. If you keep walking back, there is an unexpectedly-large statue of Buddha. And, again, all of this is covered in snow, which just adds to the perfect stillness.

I am sorry, I know beaches are fun for the holidays, but experiences like this ~ like seeing the largest Buddha statue you've ever seen, surrounded by undisturbed, newly-fallen snow, it's just breathtaking. It's an experience I don't think is possible anywhere else.