Making Each Day Count

After lunch at Mangwon Market and a leisurely stroll through the surrounding parks, admiring the summer blooms along the way, we decided it was time to head toward one of Seoul’s most iconic sights: Gyeongbokgung Palace.

There was just one problem. By the time we were ready to visit, we realized the palace closes at 5:00 PM. So much for our afternoon palace wander. Rather than rush through it, we decided to reschedule Gyeongbokgung for the following day. I think that turned out to be the better decision anyway, as it meant less cramming too much into a day.

Instead, we spent some time scouting for hanbok rentals. Visiting Gyeongbokgung in traditional Korean dress was definitely on our Seoul wish list, so we wanted to find a place where we could rent our outfits the next day.

With the palace postponed, we changed plans and headed for the Han River.

My friends and I took an Uber to Banpo Hangang Park, home to the famous Banpo Bridge and one of Seoul’s most recognizable riverfront views.

Banpo Bridge stretches across the Han River, connecting the Seocho and Yongsan sides of Seoul. Just beside it are the Sebitseom, or “Some Sevit,” a group of three man-made floating islands anchored in the river.

We arrived just in time to settle in and watch the sun go down.

The plan was to stay for the famous Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain, a spectacular display where water jets shoot from the bridge and are illuminated with colorful lights. It sounded like the perfect way to end our first evening, except it wasn’t happening. We later saw a notice saying that the light show had been cancelled.

Still, apparently we weren’t the only ones who were disappointed, or perhaps the fountain wasn’t the only reason everyone had come. The crowd didn’t exactly disperse and people continued to lounge around the park, enjoying the evening by the river.

We found rental bicycles and took turns riding them around the park. None of us was in any particular hurry to leave. After spending the day walking around Seoul, it was nice to simply sit by the river, watch people go by and enjoy the cooler evening air.

We stayed for a couple of hours before finally deciding that our stomachs were beginning to demand attention. Back into an Uber we went, heading back toward Hongdae for dinner.

We managed to get seats at Kimducku Gopchangjo Bonjeum, where we had a Korean meal. We had Korean Army Stew, a hotpot made of cabbage, sausage, tofu, green onions, rice cake and spicy broth. We also had a stir fry meat and veggies. For our drink we had the famous Binggrae Banana Milk. All were delicious.

We headed back home tired from all the walking, but with happy tummies and a satisfying first taste of Seoul behind us.