Before flying to Korea I did a small amount of research and found that the only attraction which seamed of much interest to me was Bukchon, an area preserved the same way Koreans lived in Seoul 75 years ago. I made visiting here one of two goal for my trip, the second goal was to use the subway as my main mode of transportation.
After getting up I emptied out my backpack and walked to 711 to buy some water and some junk food to hold me over for the duration of my ride from Gangnam to North Seoul. I boarded at Seoullong on the green line and transferred to the orange which got me up to Anguk station in about 45 minutes. Not having a smartphone or a compass to work with, I guessed which direction north might be from my exit.
It didn't take long to figure out that my guess was wrong, I had walked south into Insadong, but with the thousands of tourists walking about and restaurants lining the area my senses were stimulated. I decided to look around and find a bite to eat here before heading north, after a small hunt walking up and down the side-streets from the main walking street, I decided on a little restaurant called Tree. Although it was quite a cookie cutter of a Korean meal, the beer was cheep and the wifi helped me plan for the night ahead.
 |
| Insadong |
 |
| I have no idea what these were but everyone wanted one |
 |
| Sitting @ Tree |
 |
| Pork dish @ Tree |
After finishing up I walked north and eventually came across the street I'd googled two days earlier. The street had a sparse distribution of tourist shops and was missing the crowds of tourists which Id seen at Insadong. Along the road were small side alleys every couple hundred feet or so, some of which lead to groups of restaurants, and others which lead to peoples houses built up onto the hillside.
After exploring a couple of these alleyways I made my way all the way up the main road. I found a mansion which looked to have some sort of historical importance and right next door I found a tea shop. The tea shop has kind of a monopoly on the top of the hill location, so probably every tourist who makes it to the top of the hill drops in here, just as I did, for a moment of relaxation.
 |
| Random Bukchon alleyway |
 |
| Something important |
 |
| Tea house |
 |
| Cafe Shakerato |
 |
| Looking down from a high pathway |
 |
| The walk back down |
