I agree with the consensus that the best way to explore one place is to hit its pavements and walk around. Sure, it can become exhausting on the legs, but nothing will get you more up close and personal with a place than by walking its streets. Yes, even when there is some drizzling going around. The continuous showers certainly did not deter us from our original plan of walking around Samcheongdong that day.
Samcheongdong is situated right beside the famed Gyeongbukgong Palace area, and a little further down is the eclectic area known as Insadong. So if you’re up for a walking tour for an entire day, this area is juuuuuust perfect.
Gyeongbukgong Palace Station – a museum within a station?
From Myeongdong, we took the subway to the Gyeongbukgong Station. Which is an attraction in itself, because some parts of the station, specifically close to Exit 5, were designed like an underground museum.
Check out those round mirrors on the wall. Normally you’d find a mirror on streets and alleyways, but there were a number of them here.
And, let me just say, coming from where I am, I’m surprised these are untouched (and by that, I mean “unstolen”).
Key relics were also on display, which reminded me a bit of the installation over at Gwanghamun Square, right in front of the giant statue of King Sejong. (You can read about my visit to Gwanghamun Square here.)
Specifically this Sundial.
Several accounts would say that King Sejong himself invented the Sundial (along with other inventions, most notable of which is the hangul or the Korean alphabet). I think I may have wholly subscribed to that notion as well. But later on, I learned that it was not as direct and simple as that.
Like this sundial design, for instance. It was not King Sejong himself that came up with it, but Korean inventor Jang Yeong-sil, who was plucked by King Sejong from obscurity, being low-born and at the bottom of the social class, into prominence as one of the scientists in the royal court. Jang made it, with King Sejong backing him up.
This bullomun or ‘Bullo gate’ was made of monolith, imitating the Bullomun in Changdeokgung. Legend says that, once a person passes through this gate, he will never grow old.
I’m not entirely sure I remember seeing that gate when we went there, but you can still read about our visit to the Changdeokgung Palace here.
Exit 5 of the Gyeongbukgong Station will lead you directly to the National Palace/Museum of Korea and Gyeongbukgong Palace. I suppose that explains why it looks so hushed and… clean. Like it’s one of the hallways of the Palace, even.
I’ve visited Gyeongbukgong Palace twice already (read about it here, here, and here) and so did Rog once before, so we decided to give it a miss, and just walked across to get to the other side.
From there, we followed the sidewalk by the outer Palace wall, and kept walking.
Along the Palace Wall, we walked…
The streets may look a bit bare and empty in the photos, but trust me when I say we weren’t the only ones walking. As we moved further on, there were more people as we were also getting closer to the Samcheongdong area.
At some point, we arrived at the entrance to the National Folk Museum of Korea, an ornate structure that can be seen even from within the Palace walls. We didn’t go in, though, and just made do with taking photos outside.
This was a fun installation right by the gate to the National Folk Museum. It is of kids playing mal ttuk bak gi or maldukbakgi.
Maldukbakgi is the South Korean take on the classic children’s game Johnny-on-the-Pony.
Basically, two teams will play this game. On Team A’s turn, one person will stand against a wall with the other team members forming a big horse in front of him, by bending down from their waist and putting their heads up in someone else’s crotch area. Then Team B will run up to jump on to the back of the “horse” with AS MUCH FORCE AND WEIGHT AS POSSIBLE.
Point one: the “horse” has to stay up no matter how forceful the jumps were. If any one of them buckles and the “horse” collapses, Team A loses.
Point two: If all Team B members are on the back of the “horse” and the “horse” is still standing, the first person who jumped will then play Rock-Scissors-Paper with the first person of Team A (the one standing against the wall). That’s where the final victor of the game will be decided.
….That’s a lot of pain to go through, huh. Makes you wonder why they don’t get to the Rock-Scissors-Paper part right away,
When in Samcheongdong…
I can’t quite explain it, but you notice a slight change as you move closer to Samcheongdong. For me, it was the variety of structures. Buildings with architectures that looked like a cross between the past and
Like this parking space, with its graffiti-ed walls.
Maybe because it was still midmorning, and there was a bit of a drizzle going on, but there was no crowd while we were going around the streets of Samcheongdong.
In fact, the only notable ones we came across here and there were Chinese tourists who were on the same sightseeing spree as we were.
Aside from sightseeing and getting a glimpse of Korean classic-meets-modern culture, Samcheongdong also offers some gastronomic options. Restaurants, coffeeshops….
…but who am I kidding. You see coffee shops practically everywhere around Seoul, not just in Samcheongdong.
And if you thought Myeongdong was the only place to spot skincare stores, you’d be wrong. Some brands also have flagship stores here in Samcheongdong.
We passed by this building, which is the headquarters for the brand LYANATURE.
Incidentally, LYANATURE is a skin care brand developed, owned and endorsed by Lee Young Ae.
If you don’t know who Lee Young Ae is, she is Janggeum from the wildly popular Korean historical drama Dae Janggeum or Jewel in the Palace.
A part of me felt like I was caught in the crossroads of time, considering how the buildings were decidedly modern in terms of purpose or utility, but much of their designs, particularly their facade, had something traditional on it.
Like this coffee shop, for instance.
It is tempting to go up the several stairs we passed by to check out what’s up there. Mostly they are more restos and dining places, and if you had more time, it’d be great to check them all out.
Of course, provided that you also have a bottomless pit for a stomach, so you can sample everything on offer.
Many times we were tempted to enter one of the cafes or restaurants to get some brunch, but I was holding out (with great difficulty, if I may add).
You see, I was planning on checking out the Innisfree Cafe once we arrived at the Innisfree store in Samcheongdong.
And when we did, I was ready to beg Rog for us to go up to the Cafe and eat something. ANYTHING.
Good thing I didn’t have to beg, because she was also up for it.
The Innisfree Cafe occupies the second and third floors of the shop, so we skipped the entire first floor housing their skin care and make-up products….
….and I will devote another post for our experience at the Innisfree Cafe.
Close to Innisfree are stores by other brands such as A’Pieu and Aritaum, but we made a beeline directly for the Samcheongdong flagship store of YG cosmetic brand moonshot.
I think I started taking a video while entering it, then forgot all about it once we got around to the business of buying the Blackpink and GD cushions. Mwahahaha. Yeah, I caved.
This map came in handy. We got it from our Guesthouse (Namsan Guesthouse), and although we did not strictly check out all the stops here, it did help us get around.
And if you are afraid you’d look out of place holding a map on your hand and your phone on the other, with a camera slung around your neck, don’t. You’re bound to find another person (or two, or three) with the same predicament.
I definitely would love to have a direct name for my coffee shop, IF I get around to opening one.
And nothing could be more direct than naming it “Shut Up And Take Coffee”.
On my next post I will bring you inside the Innisfree Cafe. See ya then!
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