Seoul - Lights at Night

We had six nights in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and we hit the ground running. Even though the weather was warmer than expected, we took a long walk on our first afternoon and rode the cable car up Namsan Mountain for a great view of the city. 

In the evening, we had signed up for a food tour. We had a great group of people, including an Italian woman from the tiny town of San Cassiano in the Alta Badia region of the Dolomites. She was surprised we had heard of her town, let alone spent a week there. 

We tried many South Korean dishes at the Gwangjang Market, including:

• Mayak kimbap (like a maki roll, veggies rolled in rice and wrapped in seaweed)
• Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
• Kimchi and Gogi Mandu (dumplings filled with kimchi and pork)
• Kalguksu (Knife cut noodles)
• Nokdu bean-dae-dduck (Mungbean Pancake)
• Gogi-Wanja (Meatball Pancake)
• Kkwa-bae-gi (Twisted donut)
• Makgeolli (Korean traditional rice wine)
• Soju / maegju (Beer)
• Yakgwa (Korean Traditional Cookie)
• Bibimbab (Mixed rice with assorted vegetables)
• Ddukbulgogi (Korean Beef Soup)

I was surprised to be able to handle the spice level of the tteokbokki, they were really spicy! I probably wouldn’t order it on my own, but it was good to try a small amount!

At the last stop of the evening, we were seated around a big table and our guide Jacob taught us some fun Korean drinking games with beer and soju (rice wine). It was good that we’d had a little alcohol because then he brought out the next courses — Yuk-heo (Raw Beef), and San-nak-ji (Live Octopus). I would never have tried either of these if I wasn’t a little tipsy! The worst part was that the octopus was cut into pieces that were still wriggling! We had a hard time picking it up with the slippery metal chopsticks!

South Korea is the destination for all things skincare-related, so on Wednesday, I treated myself to a luxury facial at our hotel spa. Afterwards, we headed over to the National Museum of Korea. I should say that we went there for a dose of culture, but really we just wanted to do an activity that was air-conditioned (did I mention that Seoul is very hot an humid this time of year?) Luckily for us the museum was cool exhibit-wise as well as temperature-wise. 

In the evening, we tried to go see the illuminated light show at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The DDP is a futuristic, spaceship-shaped building that has gallery space inside and a rooftop park. Supposedly the light show goes for ten minutes on the hour, but we arrived early and waited until at least 8:30pm, but no show happened. We’ll just have to look it up on YouTube, I guess!

In search of more lights at night, we went to the happening district of Eulji-ro. Even on a Wednesday, this place was lively with loud music and lots of young people having a few drinks. We didn’t go into any of the bars, but it was worth checking out just for the atmosphere. 

Thursday morning we ventured to Gangnam, on the south side of the Hangang River (“Gangnam” literally means “south of the river”). This area was made famous by a K-pop song “Gangnam Style” that came out about a decade ago. The video featured the singer doing a funny dance that looks like riding an invisible horse. Apparently the city of Seoul thought this was worthy of a commemorative statue. Oppa Gangnam Style!

Gangnam is a very trendy and affluent district in Seoul. The Starfield Coex Mall and Convention Center is just about the pinnacle of what I like to think of as “Asian mall culture” — integrated malls that have boutique stores alongside grocery stores, food halls, arcades, and other useful places that Asians head to as a one-stop shop for pretty much everything in their daily lives. This mall even has an amazing library where patrons can lounge in one of several coffee shops and read any book or magazine right off the shelf (multiple languages are available but mostly the books are Korean). To be honest there were more people here just taking photos for instagram than reading, though. 

Also in Gangnam, we visited the beautiful Bongeunsa Temple, which has a huge Buddha statue but also these really interesting and colorful guardian paintings on the gates. 

For the first three days of our stay in Seoul we were at the Shilla Hotel and our room was on a high floor so we had great views of the Namsan  Seoul Tower changing color at night. 

On Friday morning we took a stroll through the cafe-lined walkways of the Ikseon-dong neighborhood. This area of hanok-style houses was built in the 1920’s and is now a blend of cute cafes, restaurants, and shops. 

Our second hotel in Seoul was in the more central Jongno district, so we were really able to get out on foot and explore. The Cheonggyecheon Stream is a lush pedestrian oasis that runs right through town. There used to be a highway built right over the natural stream, but it was torn down in 2003 and turned into a recreational green space. For this weekend, it had been transformed into an outdoor public library. 

While wandering through nearby Gwanghwamun Square, we noticed a large gathering of traditionally dressed South Koreans writing large-scale calligraphy on posters and posing in front of the statue of Sejong the Great (a king from the 1400s). 

Walking through this part of the city at night is a good way to experience the old alongside the new. The glow from the billboards lights up the sky, and traditional lanterns add some warmth and refinement. 

This weekend was the Lotus Lantern Festival, a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday. But wait, wasn’t his birthday back in April? Why, yes, at least according to Japan. Here in Korea they celebrate it in May. Korea uses the lunar calendar to calculate the date, but Japan switched to the Gregorian calendar during the Meiji Era and fixed the date to April 8. Luckily those of us who celebrate Christmas can be 100%-guaranteed certain that Jesus was absolutely born on December 25th, right? I guess time is truly a construct. 

Okay but back to the lanterns! The festival is centered around the Jogyesa Temple, and the temple was all decorated on Friday night in anticipation of the weekend’s events. 

Lanterns of all shapes, sizes, and colors illuminated the temple and surrounding buildings, including the Central Post Office. 

From Jogyesa, we ambled back down to the Cheonggyecheon Stream and were delighted to see people actually relaxing and reading the books in the library pop-up! Books were free to check out, and you could rent a reading lamp or book light for a very low cost. 

Saturday was a busy day of sightseeing. We started by exploring the Gyeongbokgung Palace, including the elaborate changing of the guard ceremony. 

The guard-changing ceremony was just the right mix of camp and tradition to be very entertaining. It was set to traditional music, and soldiers waved flags and swords around while shouting commands. In addition to the brightly colored costumes you might be able to spot a fake beard or two in the photo below. 

Speaking of having fun while dressed up in costumes, we saw countless couples and even whole families wearing hanbok attire. 

After seeing the palace we joined a guided tour of the Bukchon Hanok Village. This is another well-preserved area with traditional Hanok houses. Unlike some of the other historical districts, many of these homes are still residential and there are signs posted reminding tourists to be courteous and respectful of the full-time residents. 

The Lotus Lantern Festival was the reason we timed our visit to Seoul for these dates, and Saturday night was the main event - a huge 3-hour parade of lanterns, lights, and music. 

There were hundreds of floats and lanterns. Some were very simple, but others — like this fire-breathing dragon — were more elaborate. 

On Sunday, the festival events continued with music and dance performances and hands-on crafting booths around the Jogyesa Temple. There were also information booths about Buddhism and even a recruiting station for folks who might want to try life as a monk. I would have loved to craft a lotus lantern but unfortunately I don’t have room in my already-stuffed suitcase. So we settled for posing with some lanterns for a photo—I’ll have to pack the memory instead!

We enjoyed our time in this clean, vibrant, and modern-yet-traditional city. Gahm-sahm-nee-dah—thanks for the wonderful memories, Seoul!

Gyeongju - Museum Without Walls

So I have been keeping travel blogs for two decades and up until today all the words have been my own (with the occasional post from Kevin). On this trip for the first time we have been consulting AI occasionally for help with transportation scheduling and working out the itinerary. 

We are now in Gyeongju, a city with such a depth of unfamiliar (to me) history that I did not know where to begin to write this post coherently. So for the first time I gave ChatGPT a prompt and asked it to summarize the history and explain the significance of some of the places we visited. I was surprised when it came back with a pretty good essay. So what follows below is about 70% AI. The future is here. 

Gyeongju, often called “the museum without walls,” was the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BC to 935 AD) for nearly a thousand years. During the height of Silla’s power, especially after the unification of much of the Korean Peninsula in the 7th century, Gyeongju became a center of politics, religion, science, and art. 

The city’s layout and monuments still reflect the sophistication of a kingdom that actively exchanged ideas with China, Central Asia, and the Buddhist world. Many of the archaeological treasures scattered across modern Gyeongju reveal how the Silla elite expressed authority through architecture, astronomy, religion, and elaborate burial customs.

One of the clearest reminders of royal Silla culture is the Daereungwon Tomb Complex, a large park filled with grassy burial mounds belonging to kings and aristocrats. These tombs were built by stacking stone chambers beneath enormous earth mounds, creating the distinctive rolling hills that define much of Gyeongju’s landscape today.

Among them, Cheonmachong (“Heavenly Horse Tomb”) is especially important because archaeologists discovered exquisite gold crowns, jewelry, and a famous painted saddle flap depicting a flying horse, offering rare insight into Silla artistry and beliefs about the afterlife.

Nearby, Geumnyeongchong Tomb revealed additional royal treasures, including finely crafted ornaments and ceremonial objects that demonstrate both the wealth of Silla rulers and their advanced metalworking skills. 

From 1910 to 1945 Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, and in 1921 Geumnyeongchong Tomb was roughly excavated, artifacts were removed, and it was left in a partially revealed state. In 2015 it was re-excavated by a South Korean team of archaeologists, new artifacts were found, and the tomb was preserved and incorporated into an excellent museum explaining the burial process and history of the Silla burial traditions.

The massive double mound known as Hwangnamdaechong is the largest of the tombs in the Daereungwon park and it symbolizes the scale and authority of the royal class during Silla’s golden age.

Gyeongju also became a major center of Buddhism after the religion was officially adopted by Silla in the 6th century. The most celebrated example of this spiritual heritage is Bulguksa, a masterpiece of Korean Buddhist architecture originally constructed in the 8th century. 

The temple was designed not only as a place of worship but also as a symbolic representation of the Buddhist paradise on earth.

Its elegant stone terraces, bridges, pagodas, and wooden halls reflect both religious devotion and advanced engineering. 

Bulguksa embodies the artistic and philosophical achievements of Unified Silla culture, when Buddhism deeply influenced education, politics, and daily life throughout the kingdom.

Scientific achievement was another defining aspect of Silla civilization. Cheomseongdae Observatory, built during the reign of Queen Seondeok in the 7th century, is considered one of the oldest surviving astronomical observatories in East Asia. 

Constructed from hundreds of carefully placed stone blocks, it reflects how astronomy was closely tied to agriculture, governance, and cosmology in ancient Korea. 

At night there is an entertaining and educational light show that ties the physical building to the celestial discoveries made there in the past, and brings the Chinese zodiac constellations to life. 

Nearby, Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond illustrates the luxurious side of royal life. Originally used as a secondary palace and banquet site for crown princes and important guests, the complex featured artificial ponds, gardens, and pavilions that showcased the refined aesthetics of the Silla court. 

Artifacts recovered from the pond reveal extensive international connections and the cosmopolitan nature of the kingdom. There isn’t much of an interior to the palace, so there’s not much to see, and the existing structures are reproductions, but it is beautifully illuminated at night.

The city’s transportation routes and neighborhoods also reveal how ancient traditions continue to shape modern Gyeongju. Woljeonggyo Bridge, reconstructed based on historical research, recreates a grand wooden bridge that once connected important districts of the Silla capital. 

Also illuminated at night, it symbolizes both the engineering ability of the ancient kingdom and contemporary efforts to preserve cultural identity. 

Nearby, Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village preserves traditional hanok houses and aspects of Confucian culture that developed after the Silla era, especially during the Joseon Dynasty (1392 to 1897 AD). 

The village demonstrates how Gyeongju evolved from a royal Buddhist capital into a center of Korean scholarly and family traditions. One of the old homes is preserved as a museum that you can explore.

We had an excellent lunch at one of the old hanok structures that is now a restaurant.  

Today, Gyeongju balances historical preservation with modern tourism and youth culture. 

Hwangnidan-gil Street represents this blend particularly well. Once a quiet residential area, it has become a vibrant cultural street lined with renovated hanok-style cafés, boutiques, restaurants, and galleries selling art and handicrafts. This gallery is filled with delicately crocheted flowers.

Street food is readily available from shops and stalls along Hwangnidan-gil Street.

We visited Hwangnidan-gil several times during the three days we were in Gyeongju, and this pretty hanbok rental shop was always busy with customers.

While modern in atmosphere, the district remains surrounded by ancient tombs and historic landmarks, creating a unique environment where contemporary Korean culture coexists with over a millennium of history.

Together, these sites show why Gyeongju remains one of Korea’s most historically significant cities: a place where royal power, religion, science, art, and everyday life from the Silla Kingdom continue to shape the identity of the city today.

…So not bad for a first attempt at getting AI to do what I want. It was especially helpful for this post because I am not very familiar with Korean history or culture. It’s unlikely that I will use it often but if I do I will be sure to note it. We enjoyed our three days here in Gyeongju. It is definitely my favorite city so far, although we haven’t yet been to Seoul. That’s next, so stay tuned!