I first visited Seoul last November and I fell in love with this city immediately. I've had pretty serious Seoul Withdrawal Syndrome since I came home. I just can't divert my attention from Seoul; let it be checking out #seoul #southkorea in Instagram, paying extraordinarily more attention to check-ins in Seoul that I saw in my Facebook news feed, checking on Seoul's weather at least 3 times a day (day, noon and night), craving for Korean food all the time only to find out that none of the local Korean restaurant could satisfy my appetite, checking on airfares to Seoul...and so on. Furthermore, it was the airing period of very hit K-Drama The Heirs. That just made everything worse. And thus, it didn't take me too long to return to this city. I took chance of a local public holiday on a Tuesday, applied for a day's leave on Monday, and booked my ticket to Seoul over the long weekend I self-declared. It's 2 months later that I was back in this city, and I've discovered more and more charms it has to offer. I am now...even more in love with Seoul.
I was supposed to be travelling alone but I was glad that a friend of mine who's residing in Seoul has offered to bring me around. And so I traveled to most places by car instead of public transport. I covered most places I didn't go during my last trip.
N Seoul Tower (N 서울타워)
One of the most popular landmarks in Seoul. I went there before sunset and the drive was lovely! As we're driving uphill and I looked out the window, the view of local houses brimming with sunlight was so beautiful. Whilst we're not allowed to drive up to the park, we parked the car at the cable car station at Myeong Dong and we took cable car up. Despite the long queue, we didn't have to wait too long, only about 10-15 minutes. It was a short ride; but the cable car offered us a greater view of the city.
The skies weren't very clear that evening; nonetheless the weather was still lovely for a day out.
The famous couple locks. All sorts of locks and intimate wishes and messages. I bet this place has gained so much more popularity than it already has after the airing of the even more hit K-drama You Who Came From The Star. That drama brought me down memory lane, so badly.
There, the reflection of sun in the center of the pic above is Hangang (Han River), and the tallest building standing alone in the center is 63 Building - Seoul's skyscraper with 63 floors, and that's how it got its name.
*By cable car:
To reach the boarding place, walk for about 10~15 minutes following the street of the right side of the Pacific Hotel, after coming out of the exit 3 of Myeong-dong Station (line 4).You can also reach there by bus and foot. I'm not too sure about information on getting around with bus but if you enjoy walking, the walk should be worthwhile (during Spring and Autumn in particular) :)
There are a few F&B outlet in and around the tower. Oh, there's also a souvenir shop so in case you want, you can get your padlocks and marker pens there :)
Just some tips to share - From what I heard from my friend who works as a tour guide in Seoul, avoid going in the morning as that's when you'll bump into buses and buses of tourists. During my visit there were more locals than tourists and it wasn't too crowded; which was perfect for photo opportunities. I personally think going in the evening is the best! Just before dusk, and you can see Seoul in 2 different ways when the daylight turns to dark. It's also a bet on the weather, if it gets foggy you definitely won't enjoy as much view as you can on clear days.
I've heard many people telling me how touristy and commercialized this place is and yeah, it's just another tower in another city. Depends how you look at it; every city is different and I enjoy immersing myself in different city views. Plus... don't you think it feels great to be able to watch the city from a greater height?
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