samcheongdong is only a leisure 10-15mins walk away from gyeongbokgung palace.
you just need to walk straight along the palace wall and take the right road when the main road branches out into 2 roads.
you will surely recognise samcheongdong for you'll found yourself walking along pretty boulevards dotted with shops/cafes each with their own distinct styles. :D
it was pure joy just strolling in the area getting lost and popping into any shops/cafes that appeal to you.
i super heart samcheongdong. so quaint and pretty!
with the good weather and the boys taking turns to nap in the pram, ah long and i enjoyed our time here.
and of cos, what is an afternoon without tea break!
there are soo many cafes here you will be spoilt for choices.
we had waffles and its crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside - shiok!
it was just about time for us to have an early dinner when we reached towards the end of samcheongdong.
dinner was at the maple tree which was recommended online when i did my research back home.
and i can only say - the rave reviews live up to their words!
we ordered 2 of the recommended meat - unmarinated beef sirloin and marinated boneless beef ribs.
the unmarinated beef sirloin is super juicy and yummy. we were told to dip it slightly in salt and eat it just like that.
and the salt brings out the sweetness of the beef.
we were surprised that the unmarinated sirloin is actually better than the marinated ones.
i tried the cold noodles as well and found it pretty refreshing to go along with the hot grilled meat.
and pineapples on grill are very very good. haha.
the boys ate alot of rice given the tasty meat too.
it was the best dinner for the whole trip for us actually!
the pricing was pretty reasonable too.
i think the meal costs us less than S$100.
after the satisfying dinner, we made our way to bukchon hanok village which is just next to samcheongdong.
bukchon is different from namsangol in the sense that it is occupied and lived in by people now and there are more houses here clustered together forming a very unique neighborhood.
its like taking you back in time when you get lost here.
we found the architecture intriguing.
the area is full of uphill and downhill slopes so plan your path a little with all the handy standing maps on display in this area so you dont ended up walking more up slopes than down.. ha.
the boys not really appreciating the houses but having fun running up and down the slopes. @_@
we finally left the place near 7+pm. it really has been a good few hours spent here in samcheongdong.
i highly recommend anyone who visit seoul to come here for at least half a day to soak in the ambience.
we took a cab from samcheongdong to insadong - it was only a station away but cab is so much faster and cheaper!
Insadong is a neighbourhood that exudes tradition. there are lots of teahouses here and the shops are selling all kind of knick knacks that appeal more to the average tourist.
so meaning nothing much for me..
there is a shopping place here called ssamziegil which design allows people to ascend the different floors without stairs.
see photo to see what i meant.
insadong reminds me abit of taipei 西门町 but minus the shopping...
ssamziegil on the right with walkways of slight gradient to link all the floors without stairs - something different.
we spent an hour or so at insadong before our legs start to cry for mercy.
too much walking during the day! so we settled at starbucks for quick bites again.
we never stop eating huh?
over at insadong, the starbucks here are the only one in seoul with korean words on its signboard instead of "starbucks".
by the time we reached our hotel, hubbi and my legs were turning in jelly..
the boys were not so tired given they can rest by sitting in stroller or carried by us... zzzz.
but day 2 has been well spent.
tomorrow we will be heading to hongdae area and ewha women university street for shopping!
No comments:
Post a Comment