instamay

1 - my last morning in Seoul was used to buy lots of (way too cute) Korean socks.
2 - i mostly wrote on my thesis, but i also found time to write some letters.
3 - the only right thing to do when you miss a train connection that only goes once an hour: eat ice cream (with discodip)!
4 - my parents will be married for 40 years (!) this summer, so i drew their party invitation.

& more.

"every time i think i've seen it all, there's a nicer walk or a prettier view or a cuter café"

Seoul. in some "spare hours", i decided to go for a walk to Ihwadong, which is famous for its mural paintings and painted stairs, that obviously are used in lots of Korean dramas (which i besides don't know much about). at the beginning, i was in a cute café and instagrammed the above sentence, not knowing this would become the loveliest and prettiest walk of the trip, not knowing i'd actually cry tears of happiness because isn't it awesome that people create places like this? and isn't it awesome that kids get to grow up here? and isn't it awesome that we can travel and get the chance to walk around here as well? - i definitely am the emotional kind of person, but still. isn't it awesome?!

so, if you'd have one day in Seoul (and i know no one is going to listen to this advice, i probably wouldn't do it either, but i'm still going to say it), i think there's only one right thing to do: visit Ihwadong. and eat bingsu.

서울

Seoul. i'm glad i got to travel a bit around South Korea, but i must say i was even happier to be back in Seoul. it's hard to explain and a little crazy as i'm definitely no big-city-girl, but Seoul just feels a bit like home. it's so easy to escape to more rural areas, hear water and birds and still be in the middle of the city (!) and then walk around in the craziness again, visit a cat or sheep or dog café or the loveliest (handmade) shops. Seoul is the perfect mix of nature and megacity, traditional and modern life, which makes it so easy to fall in love with the city. spending most of my time in Seoul wasn't a bad decision. at all.

temples and traditional pastries

Gyeongju. i went on a day trip from Busan to this traditional city called Gyeongju, which is an hour away by bus. there are many pretty old buildings, like Bulguksa temple, but there's other things i enjoyed more (although the kids who also visited the temple were extremely cute). things i liked better:

- all the PASTEL-COLORED bikes (!!!) (i felt at home)
- an awesome little coffee house called 101, which doesn't have a website but definitely is worth searching for
- eating this traditional red bean pastry called hwangnampang.