We would soon be leaving Seoul for Busan but first I want to share a few other places we visited and things we saw – some even from the windows of our bus. Pictured above the blog title is Namdaemun Market. It is a traditional market dating back to 1414 when it was a government-chartered market. The historical picture below was posted on the Namdaemun Market website. The gate in the picture is the Sungnyemun Gate, also known as the Namdaemun Gate. 

Today the Market is home to 10,000 stores and has 50,000 employees. The Market has about 300,000 visitors per day, 10,000 of which are foreigners.

Tauck took us to the Namsangol Hanok Village, a place we had visited when we were previously in Seoul. The first picture below is the gate or entrance. The Village has five authentic hanoks, or traditional Korean houses. These had been located in different neighborhoods around Seoul and moved here. The homes belonged to common people and aristocrats. Furniture and everyday items found inside these homes reflect the kind of life the people who lived inside these homes at the time would have had. The second picture was a home that once belonged to Yi Seungeop, a carpenter who built his home and also was one of the carpenters who helped to rebuild the Gyeonbokgung Palace. Some of the homes, as the one in third picture, had stone walls around them which would protect fires spreading from one home to another.

A common site outside the hanoks were earthenware crocks, depicted in the first picture below. These were used to store kimchi, sauces and other food.

The second picture below shows a combination stove and heating system called an Ondol. A fire lit in the kitchen stove would cook food but also send heat beneath the floor through narrow stone flues. The heat would warm thick slabs of clay beneath the floor. The smoke escaped through a small chimney. The third picture is one I found on-line and diagrams how this system works.

The straw-like structure in the fourth picture is known as a Daljip or “moon house.” It is a large cone-shaped structure built from dried twigs, pine branches, and straw. During the Jeongwol Daeboreum (Great Full Moon Festival), visitors write their wishes on slips of paper and tie them to the structure. The Daljip is then set ablaze in a communal bonfire as the full moon rises, a ritual believed to burn away bad luck, and bring good fortune for the new year.

There are also traditional gardens within Namsangol Hanok Village. Pictured below is one of those gardens, Cheonghakj Pond.

We also booked the Royal Seoul Cooking Class through Viator. It was held in a 100-year-old hanok, a traditional Korean house. We made Tang-Pyeong-Chae (a salad), Hamul-Pajeon (a pancake), La Galbi (shortribs), Fresh Kimchi, and Korean-Style Potato Salad.

Our hotel in Seoul had an excellent restaurant that served buffet style. There was a room which featured Asian specialties, liking the Peking duck pictured, and another serving Western entrees. The second picture shows three of the 22 food trucks in the food court of the Hyundai Shopping Mall.

This is the Blue House, the executive office and residence of the South Korean President. We drove by the Blue House in the Tauck bus, but that is as close as we got. Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol chose not to live in the Blue House so it was open to the public during his presidency (2022-2025). The pictures below were purchased from Shutterstock. The interior pictures were taken during the time The Blue House was open to visitors. The second picture was taken of the Blue House Reception Room and the third is the Office of the President.

Namsan Seoul Tower is a communications and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain. It is about 775 feet tall and has an observation level with shops and restaurants that is a popular tourist attraction. The Tower is visible from many parts of Seoul. We took this picture while at Namsangol Hanok Village. On our previous visit to Seoul, we visited the Tower which gave us great views of the city.

While in Seoul, we frequently saw the Han River. It is over 300 miles long, crossing much of the country from west to east. In Seoul alone, 31 bridges cross the Han River.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Seoul and would recommend it as a wonderful city to visit. There are several tour operators which could provide information about the sites as well as organizing the logistics. The local tour operators we used were Viator, Get Your Guide and Tours by Locals.