I wanted to go out and get some fresh air after spending a long time inside. Just then, N-Seoul Tower came to my mind. Whenever I think of Seoul, the N-Seoul Tower comes as one of the indelible images of Seoul. When I first visited it, I liked the romantic vibes and beautiful views it gave off so much. Because of that, I love N-Seoul Tower. I decided to go there.
N-Seoul Tower stands on Namsan Mountain and is located right near Myeongdong, which is one of the most buzzing shopping-districts in Seoul. Myeongdong is packed with a lot of clothes, cosmetics, souvenirs shops, various cafes, restaurants, food stands, and so on. After visiting N-Seoul Tower, have a chance to explore Myeongdong Street. It also leads to another popular tourist attraction, Myeongdong Seongdang Cathedral(명동성당), which is the oldest Western-style building in Korea.
1. N-Seoul Tower (남산서울타워)
While Paris has the Eiffel Tower and Tokyo has Tokyo Tower, which are symbols of each city, Seoul has N-Seoul Tower. N-Seoul Tower was initially built as a transmitting tower for TV frequencies in 1975. It was taken over by one of the Korean news agencies, YTN and had been used as its premises. After the end of the analogue broadcast service in Korea in 2013, souvenirs shops, restaurants, and cafes occupied the tower instead of office rooms.
N-Seoul Tower was voted as the top attraction by foreigners in 2012. The fact that you can overlook the entirety of Seoul and many eye-pleasing elements of the tower makes it a good reason to visit.
In order to get to the tower, you can either take a cable car or walk up the mountain. Namsan is not so much of a high mountain if you are a hiking person or have enough time, so why not climb yourself? If you are pressed for time, the cable car is right there for you. (9,500 won for a roundtrip ticket for an adult / 6,500 won for a roundtrip ticket for a child aged 12 or under)
I decided to walk up to the peak. I once climbed up Hallasan Mountain(한라산) in Jeju, so I was not afraid of Namsan Mountain at all. (If you haven't read the posts about my Jeju trip yet, click and check it out!)
I was sweating buckets climbing the mountain. At that time, I didn't tell my-then-girlfriend(ex) that I, actually, wanted to take the cable car. Even though it was much lower than Hallasan Mountain, it was still a mountain and high enough to cause me to sweat a lot. My back was producing a lot of salt like a salt pond.
I stopped for a short while to cool down and catch my breath. I had already taken off my jacket. The chilli air of Autumn was not enough to cool me down.
Although I made up my mind not to climb a mountain after my discharge from the military service, which was full of mountain climbing, I found myself climbing a mountain again.
I've finally got to the peak of the mountain on foot in approximately 40 minutes. Even though it was quite laborious climbing all the way up to the peak, the views of Seoul that were seen from the mountain really paid off.
On the observation deck, I took a break, enjoying the beautiful views and thinking about my childhood. Just by sitting on the deck, overlooking parts of Seoul, made the vibes good.
There is another element which contributes to the vibes of N-Seoul Tower, which are love padlocks, suspended almost everywhere. Couples who visit the tower usually put their names on a padlock, wishing that their love lasts forever and then put it on a rail. After doing so, the key for the padlock is thrown away down the mountain so that no one can unlock their padlock.
It gives you a funny thought: "how many couples have really survived after that?"
I got hungry. It was time for lunch. There were restaurants running, I picked one for Budaejjigae(부대찌개). Budaejjigae is a kind of fusion of Korean food. It has sausages, Spam, tinned beans, and cheddar cheese, which were initially given from the US army as relief aid in the 50s and 60s, after the Korean War. Those Western ingredients meet Korean ones such as minced garlic, Kimchi, vegies, Gochujang(Korean chilli sauce) and bone stock in the dish. The harmony they create is perfectly delicious. Because of that, many foreign visitors to South Korea fall in love with Budaejjigae(부대찌개). Additionally, it's also one of my favourite Korean foods.
The restaurant I picked was in the complex of the tower. Its name is "153 부대찌개". Even before I got into the restaurant, it was attracting us with the smell of food. (Out of the menu, we had 153 부대찌개, which cost 8,500 won for a helping.) It was really a good dish. I fully enjoyed it.
After the meal, I took a bit more of a walk and headed to Seoullo(서울로), which was located right by Seoul Station.
To be continued in the next post...
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WORDS BY
Minsu Kim - koreaonthescreen@gmail.com
PHOTOS BY
Minsu Kim - koreaonthescreen@gmail.com
PROOFREAD BY
Gabriela Enriquez
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② emeskei_
