National Museum of Korean Contemporary History (대한민국역사박물관)
We recently had a family day out and went to this museum. I hadn’t been before but I was glad that we went. It’s a great overview of Korea’s modern history. Although I was familiar with much of this history, it was interesting to see in a chronological order and to see artefacts from historical events.
Many people get interested in Korea through Kpop and Kdramas and don’t realise Korea’s interesting but sometimes very sad, past. In order to understand Korea now, it’s important to understand what has happened to Korea.
This museum is really easy to get to and the staff were so nice. Even finding Yul’s toy that he lost even though it was closing.
This is Hugh’s vlog from when his friends Ben and Laurens visited recently. They all met in Spain (though Ben is from Northern Ireland and Laurens is from The Netherlands) for some filming, which we can’t talk about until later in the year.
Usually our friends and family are all pretty familiar with Korea, even if they haven’t visited Korea, they have tried Korean food and usually know some Koreans. But Hugh was the first Korean Ben and Laurens had ever met, so it was their first time in Korea. They didn’t even know what kimchi was… hehe. Hugh had a lot of fun showing them around Seoul.
Hugh and our good friend Sara recently were filming for Arirang TV. As it was about showing all the things open during the night in Seoul, it unfortunately meant late night filming in freezing temperatures!
Hugh made a short vlog that shows the different places that are open 24 hours in Seoul.
Hugh vlogged this festival at a new culture space. It used to be an area for huge oil tanks, which the public couldn’t access for 40 years. The tanks have now been transformed into cafes and art spaces and the surrounding area into parks. There were also performances from Kpop group KARD and Megan Bowen had her fan meet up there.
I wasn’t able to go as I was still recovering from my c-section surgery but I definitely want to check out this park sometime later.
This is a service Hugh uses a lot, so when they reached out to us to do a sponsored video we were happy to do it. Hugh uses this several times a week to ride around the neighbourhood but also if he has had a big night out and the subway has stopped running, and there are no taxis, it’s super convenient for him to just ride home. There are bike stations everywhere so there are a few very close to where we live.
In this video we also participated in the Seoul Bike Ride/Parade which is an annual event. We had never done it before but definitely want to do it again next year! We could only do some of it, due to me being pregnant and then also for the filming. It gives you a different view of Seoul that you usually only see some inside a car. With all the cars off the road there is the feeling of a much wider space and it’s easily to appreciate the buildings and the city in a different way. Hopefully we can do it again next year.
For more information about bike hire when visiting Korea click here.
Exploring Korean markets and delicious street food!
We have shown Mangwon markets before in videos but we haven’t really been able to do it justice. This time we had Yoojin filming and Joel also got some good shots for us. I always find Korean open markets to be really fascinating and it’s a great way to see local culture. The street food places at the markets usually have somewhere to sit down inside which is more comfortable than standing and eating at the cart street food like in other places. I really like the tteokbokki there!
Local markets are a great place to do grocery shopping as the prices are a lot cheaper than the bigger stores. We generally buy our fruit and vegetables at the markets and only buy foreign items like cheese and butter at HomePlus or Emart. If you go to the markets in the evening the prices often drop even more.
Another reason to go to the markets is of course the food. There is great street food at the markets but also other small restaurants with great food and cheap prices. Since they are operating out of a small area and people can just take and eat as they walk, they can keep the prices down. Korean people eat out A LOT and these types of places allow people to do it regularly and cheaply.
If you are visiting Korea make sure you check out some markets as there are many around. Korean tourism often tries to push people to Gangnam or other modernized areas of Seoul but if you want a more authentic experience go to where the local people are shopping and socializing.
Mangwon markets also merges into the World Cup markets so it’s technically two markets in one. The Mangwon area is also an up and coming area with many small, quirky business and great food moving in. Once you are finished at the markets you can check out some of the great cafes in the area. Also the Han river is not too far away which is another important aspect of people’s lives in Seoul.
YTN was filming us for a segment about YouTubers in Korea. Sara and Yoojin joined us as we explored the Mangwon markets. Since we had to film for YTN’s filming we made a vlog of the day.
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