Thursday, July 25, 2013

Half a Day in Seoul

Approach to Incheon
Mind your step! 
1453 KST KE656 from BOM touches down at Incheon International Airport.
1530 I've cleared immigration, customs, have put my bags at a left luggage place and gotten some Won.
1553 I'm on an AREX commuter train to Seoul Station. 4550 won, 53 minutes. Everyone is buried in their electronic devices, except me (not claiming virtue. I couldn't figure out how to purchase a local Wifi plan on the phone) and an elderly gentleman who stares out the window.
1650 Seoul Station. One elevator, two escalator, and a short walk later, I get on a #4 subway and hop off two stations later at Myeongdong.
1715 I'm in my room on the 12th floor at Hotel Prince, right outside the subway station.
1805 I walk down the narrow, crowded pedestrian lane across the street in the Myeongdong area (a major shopping district. Neon lights. Crowds. Wares being peddled. Noise.)
1815 An oasis of quiet -- Myeongdong Cathedral and the surrounding square/piazza. (See next post)
1925 Walk back through the shopping bazaar -- even louder and more garish at night, to find dinner. Rue the fact that I forgot to take the extra host out of my mom's refrigerator, so I am unable to say Mass today.

Buried in their devices 

Moonscape

Myeongdong

Won

I had hoped to be able to go to Gyeongbokung Palace as well, but that was too ambitious. An hour or so spent at Myeongdong Cathedral was totally worth it.

And I have a new passport stamp too ... :) 

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