Traditional Music
Korean traditional music is really really different from Western music. I have to admit, I had a hard time truly appreciating it. I recognize the difficulty of playing the instruments, but I can't listen to the stuff for real long. We went to two music performances, which were fascinating, if not always pleasing to the ear. I was, however, completely captivated by the instruments. We went to a cultural center where we got to play around with some of them. So much fun! I think our group of teachers made as much noise as any school group of children!

Gyeongbukgung Palace
This was the primary palace of the Choson dynasty (14th-20th centuries). It's located right in the heart of Seoul. I was amazed at the coexistence of the ancient and modern throughout the country, but it was particularly striking here. The architecture is amazing, as are the mountains behind it. We arrived in time to witness the changing of the guard ceremony, which was really cool. I've seen it at Buckingham Palace in London, but so did 9 zillion other people. I stood in the back and didn't really get to see details. We were so close to the Korean guards - we didn't miss anything. Then of course, the obligatory picture-taking with the guards. They love it as much as the English guards do.... Another cool bit was they let us put on guard clothing and take pictures. I don't care how old I am, I still enjoy playing dress up.

Nanta!
This is an amazing experience! It's the longest-running Korean show and it's even playing in the US, under the name Cookin'. Imagine a cross between Blue Man Group, Stomp, and dinner at Benihana and you would have Nanta. Four chefs prepare dinner for a wedding, but spend more time playing than working. The rhythms they pound out are fun and exciting. They do prepare food and it's probably best not to sit in the front row (unless you enjoy getting cabbage in your hair). :) It's side-splitting hilarious and toe-tapping fun.

Architecture
Since most of my travels have been in Europe, I enjoyed the change of scenery when it comes to buildings. Although Korea is full of modern buildings, there are plenty of traditional ones - some right in the heart of the city! I love the tiled roofs with their beautiful colors:




The view out of my 17th story hotel window was amazing - mountains and highrises. I could even see two jumbo-trons running commercials non-stop!

Food
Korean food was an adventure in and of itself. I went in ready to try everything (and I did), but I can't say I loved it all. It's very healthy and much of it is tasty. However, I found that a lot of it tasted alike. It's spicy, which I didn't mind, and heavy on fish and vegetables.

The food is usually served in tons of small dishes, which winds up nearly covering the whole table! The locals said we ate really well on our trip, that they only use that many dishes for special meals. Well, we ate special every meal. The meal we had in the picture on the left consisted of 16 different dishes. As soon as we'd finish with something, they bring out more - it just kept coming. I'd hate to have to clean up after that meal! We really liked the dish bulgogi, which is a beef you barbecue at the table. Yum! Although, it was very hot and often required a nice ice cream cone to cool off our mouths! :)



The eating experience was not without its interesting moments. I've had octopus before, but I'd never just gnawed on a tentacle. I ate eel, tiny, dried fish and even a silkworm!!!!!



Needless to say, I was so ready for a cheeseburger when I came home!

Technology
The technological advancements there was a running theme throughout my trip. My first night I thought I was turning on the air conditioning right before bed, but I accidently turned on the heated floors, making it 90 degrees in my room when I woke up. I walked across my floors like you walk across a beach in July! Got that figured out, but in the process also turned off my hot water and had an icy shower. Yeah, by 9am the front desk staff thought I was an idiot...

Most places had western style toilets, but we did occasionally run into Eastern ones. The first time I used one was so exciting, but yeah - that wore off real quick. Check this out (and yes, you have to squat):

Less gross and way more cool was their answer to the umbrella problem. Koreans are very fussy about people walking into buildings with dripping umbrellas (I don't blame them), but who wants to leave their umbrella at the door to be stolen? Well, two answers. Umbrella locks and bags. The bags are far more common. At department stores, they actually have people manning the bags to make sure you use them. Just stick your umbrella in, and pull. Kinda like getting a bag for your produce at the grocery store.