A Trip to Seoul with My Teenage Son
Just jotting down some thoughts on my way back from Seoul...
《A Trip to Seoul with My Teenage Son》
I'm writing this as a record, so there might be some edits along the way.
I thought I'd share some parts that were a bit confusing when I was looking up travel information or using Naver Maps on-site.
(Like when the map photos were uploaded differently, etc.)
Day 1
Since Dongdaegu Station had more time slots than Seodaegu Station,
I booked a 7:33 AM KTX train about two weeks in advance.
If you book too close to the departure date, it'll be sold out, so make sure to book in advance through the Korail app.
(I heard that the train window facing away from the sun is on the left in the morning and on the left in the afternoon, so I booked accordingly.)
As the taxi driver told me,
⭐️Dongdaegu Station Exit 6⭐️ allowed us to board immediately upon entering.
(This is closer than the front.)
➡️To get to Seodaemun Prison from Seoul Station,
go to the right of the information desk and
exit through ⭐️Exit 1⭐️.
The bus stop is on the road, and you have to cross the street about twice to get to the ⭐️Bus Stop for Bus 701, 702A, 702B⭐️.
➡️Get off at Independence Gate.
After getting off, cross the street and walk a bit against the direction of the bus. You'll see something like red brick on the right,
and that's Seodaemun Prison.
➡️I had booked a free guided tour of Seodaemun Prison as soon as it opened 14 days in advance,
so we hurriedly arrived for the 10 AM reservation. We listened to the guide's explanation, but it was a bit long on the second floor, so we decided to look around on our own.
(※We arrived at Seoul Station at 9:33 AM, but it took longer than the time suggested on Naver Maps.
To arrive comfortably, it's better to schedule the train arrival an hour before the tour reservation, so you have enough time to take pictures and stuff※)
There was a heavy rain advisory that day, and our clothes and shoes got completely soaked.
It was the day before Liberation Day, so there was also a temporary MBC booth.
My son actually looked at everything.
My heart ached watching him in a place like this.
I couldn't even look inside the execution chamber.
I realized that Korea is doing so well
because of the sacrifices of all those people.
Since the sandwich we ate on the train was all we had,
we left Seodaemun Prison,
took the subway, and went to Bukchon near Anguk Station.
➡️We went to Kkangtong Mandu.
Naver Maps said it was next to Little Butler, but it's actually a bit further up, ⭐️in the alley next to Chims Burger⭐️.
You can have a filling meal with dumplings in bone broth.
The Bibim Guksu (spicy mixed noodles) also had a better taste of the seasoning because it had kalguksu noodles, young radish kimchi, and sliced pan-fried beef.
If you use the ⭐️Catch Table⭐️ app, you can shorten the waiting time.
You can even enter your order and pay in advance, so you need to carefully decide on your menu because you can't change it.
We ordered Bibim Guksu (3 dumplings) and Kal Mandu (knife-cut noodle soup with dumplings),
and the dumplings were filled with tofu.
Then,
➡️we walked up to Dialogue in the Dark,
where we had a 2:15 PM reservation.
We arrived 15 minutes early to catch our breath,
listened to the explanation, and experienced it.
I was glad that my son enjoyed it.
We finished around 4 PM,
but we couldn't catch a Kakao Taxi ㅠㅠ
We were supposed to see a play in Daehakro (University Street) at 5 PM,
but we still couldn't get a taxi even after walking down to Anguk Station.
We ended up taking the bus around 4:45 PM, but it was so congested in Gwanghwamun that we arrived around 5:20 PM.
We promised to see the 11 AM show tomorrow,
and returned to our accommodation, N258, in Insadong.
Day 2
The next day,
we got ready at the accommodation and left at 8:40 AM.
We had breakfast at 153 Gupo Noodles Jongno Branch in Jongno.
(It's open 24 hours, and this was the only place that was open in the morning, but it was delicious.)
We had fish cake udon, spicy fish cake gimbap, and janchi guksu (banquet noodles).
We took bus 160 to Hyehwa Station to see the play in Daehakro
and arrived with plenty of time.
➡️The "To Tomorrow" play is located
⭐️next to Starbucks Hyehwa Station⭐️.
The Green Theater is on the 5th floor, where there's an ice cream shop on the 1st floor.
The ticket box was in the back. It's behind the elevator!
(We didn't know and walked up to the 5th floor on the first day 😅 Take the elevator in the back)
➡️"To Tomorrow"
The show was at 11 AM,
and I thought it would be a good show for my teenage son who is going through a turbulent period, so we went to see it.
It seemed like a good play for families,
so there were many families there.
The acting was great,
and everyone was amazing on stage 👍👍
Whether you have a lot of money or a little, everyone has hardships,
and it was a play that made me think that I should be grateful for the small things in life.
After watching the play, we had a tour reservation at 2 PM,
so we went to the National Museum of Korea, which is very popular these days.
I booked a tour from the Naver store.
Fortunately, we arrived at
➡️Ichon Station National Museum of Korea on the subway Line 4 without transferring.
We went inside and stored our belongings in the lockers opposite the museum gift shop on the left. After browsing the gift shop,
we heard that the line was shorter at the security check that didn't require bag checks, so we only took our phones and memo pads and went in without a crossbody bag.
Fortunately, it was the afternoon and a weekday, so it wasn't too crowded, but there were still some people because the next day was Liberation Day.
The tour guide had worked at the National Museum of Korea in art-related fields, so he explained the important parts very well, and my son really enjoyed it 👍👍
Thank you, teacher 👍👍
After listening to the explanation for about 2 hours and 20 minutes,
it was 4:10 PM.
We went to the famous
Room of Quiet Contemplation at the National Museum of Korea to see the Pensive Bodhisattva statues
and went straight to Seoul Station.
It was only about five stops from Ichon Station on Line 4 to Seoul Station, but it was a bit of a walk to Exit 1.
(I was exhausted after listening to the explanation for two hours ㅠㅠ)
It's 6:46 PM now, and I'm writing this on the KTX train back to Dongdaegu. (The train is the 5:33 PM train.)
I hope this is helpful to someone,
(I may make some edits as I remember things)
Thank you.
➡️➡️Summary of the 2-Day, 1-Night Seoul Trip➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️
Day 1
10:00 Seodaemun Prison
11:54 Kkangtong Mandu in Bukchon, Anguk Station
14:00 Dialogue in the Dark
17:00 Went to "To Tomorrow" but arrived at 5:20 and couldn't see it.
Day 2
9:00 153 Gupo Noodles
10:30 "To Tomorrow" ticket box opens
11:00 "To Tomorrow" play
13:30 Arrived at Ichon Station National Museum of Korea
14:00 Guided tour
17:00 Arrived at Seoul Station
17:33 Took the train to Dongdaegu.
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