On Day 3 we toured the War Memorial of Korea, but I gave the camera a rest that day. Here are some pictures from Day 4 and 5. We walked around the outside of an art museum which was a neat experience--I loved this crazy colorful piano.
The kids got in trouble for climbing on things...
Brad and I travel a little differently. I like to take it slow and let the kids run wild wherever we're at, chase them around and take pictures and soak in the scenery. Brad really likes to make the most of the trip by seeing everything we can. We have to be conscious of that and remember that we both have to compromise to an extent.
On this day, the kids happily ran wild. It wasn't my favorite setting to capture but it did challenge me. I worked hard to make good compositions with this tricky architecture and lighting.
This picture made the hard work worth it.
This afternoon we also hit the street markets, as we did on the nights before, and had some incredible dumplings and Korean pancakes. Man they were good. Get yourself some Korean street pancakes at some point in your lifetime.
On Day 5 we went to Jogyesa Temple in Insadong. I always love the Buddhist temples. I love hearing the chants and seeing the lovely statues and beautiful roofs. At Bongeunsa temple in Gangnam, I entered a temple while Brad took the kids to walk around, and I participated in some of the meditation / prayer ritual. It was a really neat experience and I wish I'd had more time there.
Skye clearly wasn't a huge fan of this stranger getting all up in her face. The Koreans were very nice, and just as doting on our children as the Japanese.
Walking around Seoul was much more pleasant than Paris. Paris is lovely, but it was cold and rainy when we visited, and I was very nervous about the kids' safety (because the movie Taken will haunt me until the day I die) (and because nowhere in the world is as safe as South Korea or Japan), and I think maybe my anxiety made the kids crazy, or we trekked to much or something... Whatever it was, I ended each day in Paris totally exhausted and ready to be done mom-ing.
Seoul wasn't quite that way. The kids just ran through the city and I didn't stress so much. We grabbed taxis when we were tired (super cheap in Seoul!) and we slowed down when needed. Skye napped really well in the stroller, and we were able to take the stroller wherever we needed to in the city--unlike Paris. (I did read last week that Paris is the least wheelchair-friendly city in the world, which I would agree with based on our experiences with the freaking stroller).
Brad and I both hope to return to Seoul some day. From the diversity, to the food, to the beautiful temples, to the safe streets and family-friendly atmosphere, to the beautiful mountains surrounding the city, I give Seoul an A++.