Just to add some more photos to the ones I posted on Friday -- these are traditional Korean hanbok's hanging in the marketplace. One thing we discovered quickly is that there really is not the artificial mark up and the corresponding bargaining that there is in China. When I suggested a lower price to a merchant, he walked away and said, "well, you don't have to buy it!" I kept saying thank you in Chinese, to the amusement of the shopkeepers, although "Kamsamnida" (thank you) is the only word of Korean I know. I heard lots of Japanese spoken while in Seoul as well...I recently learned that Japan occupied Korea for more than 50 years, including half of the 20th century.
Above is one of the remaining gates of the original city wall of Seoul -- it is a rare sight in this thoroughly modern city. I think I mentioned Myendong Cathedral the other day when I posted. Does anyone have a clue who this Korean saint might be? We met a very nice nun who walked me into the church office to get a Mass schedule (although we didn't end up making it to Mass) and while I was in there, saw the standard picture of Pope Benedict in the office. And it made an impression on me because of the uneasy status of the church in China which is not allowed to acknowledge papal authority openly (I encourage you to google "Hong Kong Bishops letter" to read recent developments on this topic). Later out in the neighborhood we passed a poster protest related to religious freedom, located in the vicinity of the Chinese Embassy and I got it ...oh yeah ...free speech here in the first world....
On a lighter note -- Thomas, Helen and Sophia enjoyed tall ice creams to cap off international Western Food Day for the kids in the Myendong shopping area -- the "gold coast" shopping area we spent time in -- tons of international brands, even Starbucks for me, oh joy.
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