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Day
11 (October 5, 2023) Seoul: Gangnam
Before
We choose one of the full days in Seoul to explore the
Gangnam neighborhood.
The spots marked at map are:
1- Olympic Park
2- LOTTE World
3- COEX
4- Bongeunsa Temple
5- Gangnam Street
6- Banpo Bridge
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After
We leave around 10 AM, after having breakfast with what we
brought last night, and take the Seoul subway for the first time to
take line 2 from our stop, City Hall, to Jamsil, where we transfer to
line 8 for just one more stop. It leaves us in the Olympic Park, in the
part called Peace Plaza.
The two mascots of the Olympics welcome us and some monuments
that honor the Olympic Games that took place in this city in 1988 are
around.
Then we take a pleasant walk through the park before heading
towards the Lotte Tower, which we have been able to see since we left
the subway.
The distances are longer than they seemed on Google maps and,
when we arrive at the Lotte complex, we enter the luxurious shopping
center, continuing our way towards the tower inside.
Once in the tower, we have to go down one floor, to B1, to
access the large hall where the ticket stand. Admission is 25,000 won
per person. Then we pass through halls with animations that are
designed to liven up the long lines that sometimes happen here, but
since today we are practically alone, we reach in no time the two
elevators that they have to cover the 117 floors up to the observation
floor.
The elevator is fast and takes the same as the animation that is
played during the ride to reach the heights: about 30 seconds.
Upstairs they seat us in front of a screen where they play
another animation that ends with the screen opening and showing the
best view of Seoul.
We are in the fifth tallest tower in the world and we can walk
around freely on its last and smallest floors to enjoy the 360º views.
   
There are spots with transparent floors so you can see your feet floating over the abyss.
When we complete the visit we go down to the ground level and go
to eat at a restaurant that we saw coming to the tower: cold noodles
for me and some sort of breaded potatos for Eva by 18,000 won in total.
 
We take the metro in Jamsil to our next destination: COEX
Shopping Mall. The subway exit takes us into this shopping center that
is part of the World Trade Center and, immediately, we come across the
Starfield Library. A beautiful book store where you can also read while
drinking coffee.
Continuing through the shopping center we reach an exit where
they have set up a stage and many street food stalls in what seems to
be an event related to music.
In the time I go to the monument to the song Gangnam Style and
get my photo there, a live performance by a group playing classic
Korean instruments begins.
When we leave that place it is to go to the nearby Bongeunsa
temple, where its large standing Buddha stands out surrounded by
thousands of replicas of it displayed on the walls.
We start walking towards the river thinking about reaching the
K-star promenade dedicated to Kpop but we realize soon that the
distance is greater than we thought and we end up taking the subway in
Jansam when the access appears on our way in order to return to the
hotel from the line 7 with a transfer at Konkuk University station.
We go out one last time today to our usual night market to try
dragon fruit mochi, one of those coins filled with cream and cheese,
dumplings, and a cheesy lobster tail.
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