Our last full day in Seoul was cold and windy! We bundled up and caught the subway over to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the biggest of the five palaces built during the Joseon dynasty. Gyeongbokgung was where the kings lived, and it was also where the government was run. The palace grounds were so big we weren’t able to see everything, and when my fingers were so cold they wouldn’t trigger the camera button, we realized it was time to go.

We warmed up a bit on the subway line to Insadong where we were planning on stopping in at the Cat Cafe. However, we got a bit turned around and ended up finding a group of ajussis (older guys) playing board games in front of a lovely park. 

The park was Tapgol Park, Seoul’s first modern park. Filled with historical landmarks, Tapgol Park is important in the movement against Japanese occupation as it is the place where Korea’s Declaration of Independence from Japan was read in 1919. For us, the bright fall foliage and the Wongaksaji Sipcheungseoktap (10-story pagoda from the 1400s) provided the perfect backdrop for a portrait. 

Finally, we got our bearings and found the Cat Cafe on an upper floor across from the subway exit we had first come out of. We shed our coats, sanitized our hands and warmed up with hot chocolate and furry kitties. It was soothing and enjoyable to spend time playing with and petting the cats and watching them interact with the other customers and each other.

In the orchard, Cafe The Container, Jeju

As night fell, we took the subway to the area around Namsan Tower and walked to the cable car that would take us up the hill.  When we arrived, we made personal “padlocks of love” and left them locked on one of the many lock-covered fences before catching the elevator to the top of the tower.

At the top of Namsan Tower, the views of Seoul were expansive and sparkling, alive with light, motion and color! We tried to capture the essence of Seoul at night as best we could with our cell phones and then bought post cards to mail home.

Bushed and hungry, we stopped in at the tower N Burger for a fresh, hot and extra delicious burger and fries—our last dinner in Seoul.

It was time to pack…

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