Namsan and surrounds – Seoul South Korea

For our first day in Seoul, we struck a bluebird day, bright sunshine but absolutely freezing (-5). This meant our day was interspersed with several trips to heated and welcoming coffee shops. Fortunately, the Koreans like their coffee and cafes are found on every second corner.

As tour guide, I decided we should start our visit with Namsan, the guardian mountain in the centre of Seoul. I figured this would give a unique perspective and impression of Seoul. After all….. I don’t ever remember ever visiting a city with a mountain at it’s heart.

Having just arrived, and having not yet tackled the subway system, we decided to catch a taxi to our first destination. It cost $5. Given there are four of us, it’s freezing cold and the city is complicated, we have already decided this might just be the way forward.

So after a slow start, we headed to Namsangol Hanok Village, located on the northern foot of Namsan. During the Joseon Dynasty, this area was once a famous summer vacation spot where holiday makers enjoyed the beautiful scenery and it’s Pavilion.

As you can see, the pavilion is still there surrounded by a traditional garden including a pond. Today it was completely frozen and punctuated by the strangest thing……

Wild cats!

Now, for those who read my blogs regularly, they will know cats often appear in my writing. There were the cats of Rome, the cat cafe in Tokyo and even right back to my early writing, aspiring to be my cat. So, when I saw these animal walking around on ice and sleeping on the frozen island, I was surprised but then I wasn’t, if you know what I mean. It was perfect ……. and always works a charm to get the kids interested.

My trusty Lonely Planet told me that if we arrived in the village at midday there were free walking tours in English. We dutifully arrived at the information window at 11:55am and stood waiting. After a mere few seconds, a man popped his head out the window and asked if we wanted a tour. When we said yes, he said “are you sure? It’s too cold”. The broad smile on his face told me this would be fun.

We never did catch his name, but our guide was knowledgeable, interesting and just a tad cheeky. He explained the history of the five houses (Hanoks) that had been moved here from all over Seoul in 1995 to create a traditional culture and art space. He explained a little about the Confucianism ideology and the way Koreans lived in the past, together with how things are changing now. Mr Travel Bee and I found it all very interesting. The kids? Well……. they just counted cats!

From here, and after some pretty amazing hot chocolates at Hollys, we taxied to the Namsan Cable Car. This is the cheat’s way to ascend the 270m to the summit of Namsan. There are also multiple walking tracks, but on a winter’s day like today, there were few braving it. The view from the peak is extraordinary and really illustrates how vast this city is.

Seoul covers 605kmsq and has a population of 9.4 million people. This makes it the 6th largest city in the world and from Namsan you can appreciate it, with 360 degree views of metropolis, separated by Han River, mountains and various green spaces. But, I like it, these natural landmarks make it a bit different to other huge cities I’ve visited.

At the summit, there is a collection of eating venues, bars, a love padlock area, a Shinto shrine, several lookout areas and N Seoul Tower. The tower is one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Seoul. It is a 262m observation and communications tower with a French revolving restaurant at the top.

You can also appreciate parts of the old city wall at the top of Namsan and more should you wish to hike it’s tracks. We instead, ate Korean fried chicken and steaming bowls of noodle soup before catching the cable car back down the mountain.

Tonight we are exhausted and contemplating skipping dinner, but I fear this would be a mistake. I don’t want to miss the cuisine on offer or worse still, wake up at 2am hungry!

TTB