Seollal in Seoul

Over Seollal (Chinese New Year), we had a few days off and decided to take a trip up to Seoul.  We did some touristy things outside because there's no better time to be outside in Korea than in the winter...

First we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace and wandered around the grounds and museums.  We also got some good pics with the guards outside.

Throughout the trip, we ate...alot...of great meals.  Breakfast was probably the highlight of my day everyday.  Pancakes galore!  We ended up going to some of the top brunch spots in the area - The Flying Pan and Suji's Place.  Both were amazing and I'm counting down the days until I'm back in Seoul...Ulsan is really lacking in the breakfast department.

In between eating our weight in pancakes, we pampered ourselves with nights at the jimjilbang - Dragon Hill was much needed after walking around for several days in the cold and The Foot Shop's little fish took care of our feet. 

Wait...back to treats.  Orea bingsu (basically shaved ice with ice cream on top).  Incredible...that is all.  

Seoul Tower and locks of love. 

We visited Noryangjin Fish Market to try some octopus...live octopus.  We bought fresh baby octopus from a vendor who wasted not time chopping it into pieces.  We ran upstairs with our still wiggling sea creature, popped into a restaurant and sat down to eat the little guy with some side dishes and beer...because beer makes everything easier to eat. 

Terrifying at first, since the tentacles were still suctioning onto the plate and moving on their own, but once I tried it, it wasn't that bad.  Success!

Literally translates to "poop bread" because Koreans love talking about poop.  But it's just red bean inside...don't worry - I draw the line at live octopus. 

And it wouldn't be a trip to Seoul without some night time fun.  We spent a night in Itaewon and then stepped up our game to Gangnam at Club Ellui.  Champagne was enjoyed, dances imitating robots were danced, and napkins were thrown!