Japan & Korea – May 31, 2016

InAe, InSook, and I were “doing lunch” in the Myeongdong area.  Since YongSun’s favorite Indian restaurant is there, he provided car transportation and joined us for the set curry lunch, which was quite good.  We were very close to Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral which I have never visited in any of my trips to Seoul.  So we did a bit of sightseeing there.

We then were just sitting in the shade waiting for friend Young Il Kim, who took a half day off work in order to be able to see me.  During that time I saw a real Korean nun – visor firmly in place over her habit.

When Young Il arrived, the first thing we did was have coffee – something we’d done frequently during my 2009 stay in Seoul.

When I lived for 3 months in Seoul, I lived near Seoul Station doing most of my grocery shopping in the center built as a part of the new Seoul Railway Station.  The old station building was largely derelict and boarded with large numbers of homeless men in and around the structure.  I’d heard that the building had been rehabilitated and currently is used as “multipurpose cultural space.”  I was curious about what it looked like, and Young Il was willing to accompany me.

The building was much the same on the outside – just cleaned up, windows unboarded, and looking much better (a few homeless still seemed to be in the area).

There were two rooms with displays and explanations about the reconstruction efforts and techniques.

Other parts of the station building had been restored to their original grandeur.  Then art installations were put into each of the spaces.  The art was interesting but, like much modern art, largely incomprehensible to me.  The Station Master’s room was lovely – and had a huge bunch of red balloon-like pieces at one end.  The Grill Room on the second floor was the largest and most elaborate – and had the weirdest art installation.

Young Il then proposed a boat trip on the Han River, which, given the sun and warm weather, sounded delightful.  The boat docks are along the public park that runs along the river.  The boat area was replete with fake cherry trees – that really looked fake.

Aboard the boat there were more fake trees, through which this picture of the riverside was taken.

There were views of riverside buildings, like the federal parliament, and many gulls, which dive-bombed the boat hoping for food.

A final picture of Young Il and me with more fake cherry blossoms before we left the riverside and had a quick dinner at a nearby food court.  Then she had to return to work (for a call to England), and I returned to InAe’s house.