Seoul

I love Seoul.

I said so throughout the week (actually, I think I kept saying "I'd come back here just for ...."). The food is delicious. The subway is easy to navigate. The shopping is significantly more varied than Japan. The dancing is plentiful (and good). And the people are AMAZING! They're so incredibly friendly and generous- I couldn't possibly have had a better time.

While in Seoul, a significant portion of my time was spent eating. Having only had Korean food provided by friends and restaurants in the Twin Cities, I really didn't know what to expect other than kimchi. Don't get me wrong- there was certainly lots of kimchi (which was delicious). However, the rest of the cuisine was surprisingly varied: stews, dumplings, sushi... all with a distinctly Korean flair. People in Japan say that Koreans have such beautiful skin because they eat so much spicy food that they sweat out anything bad. I prefer to believe that it's because everything they eat is so good!

We also visited the National Museum (which was incredibly impressive- especially for a free one), Changdeokgung Palace, myriad shopping centers, and some traditional craft streets. And I got to dance (twice)!

I could not possibly recommend a city more highly- I absolutely adored it. If you don't believe me, check for yourself. Pictures are up on Facebook (and I did take the ones above).