Today was my first day of taekwondo classes. God are my legs going to kill me tomorrow. X_x And this is four times a week! But it's kind of exciting to be doing martial arts again.

Anyways: this Saturday, a bunch of us went to Seoul and did exciting, touristy things in the rain. Oh boy did it rain. (I cannot wait for Monsoon season.) Given the enormity of Seoul and lack of time, we only saw a few places. I hope to go back soon and see some other neighbourhoods! Here are the pictures I took from this trip:


Still in Chuncheon, at the train station. It was pouring then. Isn't it pretty? XD



...... Also very pretty is the outskirts of Seoul next to the train tracks. Not.


Inside one of Seoul's many shopping malls. This one is on the top level of Yongsan station, where we also got lunch. The shops were pretty nice, actually, but way expensive. I saw a couple of American military guys walking around here and they kinda scared me. O_o


When you leave Yongsan station, this is what you see.


The Koreans love their steps. I have climbed thousands of steps since getting to Korea.


View from the entrance of the War Memorial Museum (....... I think that was the name). The front plaza was very impressive in sheer size alone.


Trying to take a picture of the actual entrance to the museum and failing. It was huge. The whole museum was huge.


The front hallway of the museum was lined with bronze busts of modern war heroes; each had a commemorative plaque stating what they had done to earn their medal. I found this one simply too depressing for words--the guy died in training--so I decided to take a picture. 'Cos I'm weird like that.


Still in the museum.


These are from the Chosun Dynasty, I just found them very well-crafted.


As the Koreans say in English, "handsome guy."


I admit it, I took this picture solely for Elizabeth. XD Also Josun Dynasty-era (so hundreds and hundreds of years old).


...... I also took this pic for another person. They know who they are. = ) A Colt M1851(?), from Korea's early interaction period with the West.


The entrance to the Korean War exhibit hall was a round room playing 360 degrees of war footage videos. I don't think my camera really conveyed the intensity.


...... A boat. Just a boat.


A ceiling, STILL in the museum I took so many pictures there. (Because it wasn't raining in the museum!)


At dinnertime, we ended up in the Itaewon area, which oddly enough serves mostly foreign food. (It's a foreigner/expat area.) This place an extremely small burger joint. They had 10 plus different types of burgers on the menu, including an homage to the In-n-Out burger! BTW, you can see the back wall of the restaurant in this picture: it's the thing with all the frames hanging on it. Veeery small place.


Funny how I remembered to take a picture of a coke bottle but not my meal. Oh, well. (I had half of an avocado burger and half of a "California" burger, for anyone who's actually curious. Australian beef is pretty good, haha.)


And finally, people! Just to prove that I did not wander the streets of Seoul alone. (No pics of me this time, I was too busy running in and out of the rain to pose much.) This is at a bar in Itaewon, which was populated by USFK men and Korean women, LOTS of Korean women. Guinness cost $8 a pint. Seoul is expensive, and Itaewon even more so!

Wow, I actually made all through these. *phew* Now on to my schoolwork--I have a camp lesson to plan and not enough time to do it in.....