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Today, Monday, we left on a palace adventure. We began the day with SC going to the Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁). It was a beautiful day for an outdoor activity like this. We had initially planned to see a couple of castles, but after seeing this huge spectacular castle for a couple hours, we decided we'd seen enough for this trip. I noticed a small speck on some of my recent photos, so I tried to wipe off the lens today with my handkerchief. I made it MUCH worse, some of these photos may have a blurry spot. Mrs. Stumbler just cleaned it properly with some tissues, so hopefully tomorrows shots will be clearer.

A Beautiful Day at Gyeongbokgung 

Spectacular Ceiling Details 

Sundial - Solar Time 10:45, Clock Time 11:05 

The "Most Beautiful Chimney" of the Joseon Dynasty 

Part of the Gyeongbokgung complex includes a nice Korean National Folklore Museum. Initially, I said to myself - "Oh no, not another Folk Museum". But this one was quite nice. I saw some new and interesting things, and had a good time. This one was busy with elementary school students, all of them carrying notebooks and clipboards. Mrs. Stumbler says the teacher gives them an assignment before arriving at the museum, and they have to answer questions as they tour the exhibits. She says this is necessary for this age group, to keep them "on the task". They seemed to be having a good time, and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves more than some of the high school students I saw wandering around in some other museum this trip.

The Stumbler - I'm a Tiger 

YS#4 - She's a Dragon 

After touring the Palace, the grounds, and the museum, we headed off for some western lunch (for some reason the Stumbling Family never votes for Korean meals....) We went to this Pizza Hut, and had some delicious barbecue chicken pizza on my favorite cheese crust.

Lunch At Pizza Hut 

After lunch, SC suggested we visit the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, which has a nice park. What he didn't tell us was that the park is located atop of a mountain at about 10,000 feet elevation, or 3000 meters for my Korea friends (well, that's a slight exaggeration). We headed up this super long, winding walking path. We made it to the "top", although not quite to the park itself, and decided to wimp out and head down the stairs. Many, many, many stairs.

SC and YS#4 on the Mountain 

Seoul World Cup Stadium 

Bridge Over the River Han 

Down, Down, Down the Stairs 

Tonight the movie was #4 in the series, "Revenge of the Pink Panther", and I made some special popcorn by mixing taco seasoning with the popcorn - delicious. Tomorrow we're off to Daebu-do for some seafood.

As planned, we took it very easy Sunday. Not planned, SY called and was sick, so we cancelled the cooking lesson. Hopefully can squeeze it in Tuesday sometime.

We finally found the stream near the apartment. According to my map, it is called the Anyangcheon (안양천?) Stream. SC told us on Friday about one pedestrian bridge over the expressway, some distance south of here. We walked to it and arrived at the Stream. Near where we arrived were several soccer and at least one baseball field. Which brings up a question I have had for some time. In America, in my city at least, the soccer and ball fields have grass. Last year, my friend WJ who plays soccer told me that Korean soccer fields are almost always dirt. Until yesterday, I just assumed that it was difficult to grow grass for some reason. But at the stream, just next to the dirt soccer fields were several large, grassy areas for picnics and resting. So obviously grass can grow easily, but is not used for the soccer fields. What's up with that?

The walking path for bicyclists, roller bladers, and pedestrians, along side a stream, is very similar to a walkway/park we have in my city, except that here in Seoul it is much larger park. We walked along the stream for about 20 minutes, and arrived at a point where it appeared might be another crossover. And, we were approximately even with the grocery store where we wanted to go on the way home. It was a little difficult to tell precisely, so we headed up the 500+ steps to road level. We discovered to our surprise, that there was no crossover, but instead a very nice additional walkway, tree-lined and much less crowded than the one below by the stream. We then noticed, from our high altitude vantage point, that just below us where we had been, there was a pavillion with some archers. We observed them removing the typical archery targets from the field, and at first I thought their shooting was over. Then we realized they were doing some long distance shooting. I am not a good judge of distances, but I would say the remaining target was almost 100 yards away. It was very hard to follow the arrows through the air, but some of them we could see arriving at the target. It's a good thing these archers had some degree of skill, because the walkway was just adjacent to their shooting range.

We had enough of the archery, and proceeded south on the new, high-altitude path looking for another cross-over. Shortly, we found one, and crossed back to familiar territory. As we arrived on the other side of the expressway, we realized that we had passed this cross-over on our first outing looking for the stream. It is clevery disguised as an art sculpture and small park, and it is not obviously a crossover when viewed from the sidewalk on the west side of the expressway.

So, we walked first to the playground near the Carrefour so YS#4 could play for a little while. Then we went into the store for some necessities, like milk and potato chips (Mrs. Stumbler also bought some nacho chips - she plans to make some cheese nachos this week for a snack). The only photo I took yesterday was this interesting presentation of choco pies:

Eiffel Tower of Choco Pies 

With shopping done, we headed home. YS#4 and I went downstairs to order some Best Health Care chicken, and waited for it to be prepared. I can no longer have food delivered to my apartment, because I cannot operate the remote entry security system, so I just wait for the food to be prepared and carry it up myself. While we were waiting, a man with two girls about YS#4 age came to order chicken, too. The three girls played together for awhile until the food was ready, then we headed upstairs to the apartment for dinner.

After dinner, we watched the third Pink Panther movie, "The Pink Panther Strikes Again". This is the one with that classic movie joke:

Clouseau: Does your dog bite?
Hotel Clerk: No
Clouseau: [bowing down to pet the dog]
Clouseau: Nice doggie.
Clouseau: [Dog barks and bites Clouseau in the hand]
Clouseau: I thought you said your dog did not bite!
Hotel Clerk: That is not my dog.

At the suggestion of a blog reader, we added a trip to Lotte World Korean Folk Museum to our trip Saturday. It was just a few stops beyond the COEX Aquarium, so we went there first. I have been one time to Lotte World back in 2001, and I forgot just how huge the place is. We first ate some lunch at the Lotteria, sort of a Korean version of McDonald's. Then we went to the museum. It was very interesting, and we all had a good time.

YS#4 Working the Millstone 

YS#3 Carrying A-Frame Pack 

After spending a couple hours at the museum, we headed along to the COEX complex to see the Aquarium. Here I made my first mistake on the subway in Korea, by getting on the wrong train at the station. Fortunately, the next stop was only a few minutes away, and we didn't lose much time. I did this in Japan one time, and it was an express train. It took me about 45 minutes to get back on track. Before tackling the aquarium, the Mrs. Stumbler and the girls wanted to have an ice cream break. We found a Baskin Robbins, and everyone enjoyed a cone while sitting and resting their feet.

Then off to the Aquarium. I was surprised how far we had to go - I believe the Aquarium must be the farthest attraction from the train station in the entire COEX complex. Mrs. Stumbler commented on the crowds, something I didn't notice at first. It was really packed with people, at times hard to even walk. We finally arrived at the aquarium, and started out tour. One small disappointment was the signs - almost all of them had English names of the fish, but the detailed information was only in Korean. Otherwise the Aquarium was great, and we had a fun time.

Stumbling Girls at the Coral Reef Display 

Mmmmm... That's Good Fish Water 

Mr. Catfish 

I enjoyed speaking Korean to a few kids. My Korean is so poor, that even talking to a 3 year old is a challenge. At the water vending machine, I was buying a bottle when a young Korean girl, about 7 years old, came up to me and said "Hello". Here is our conversation as I recall it:

Girl: Hello
Stumbler: Annyeong Haseyo
Girl: You can speak English, right?
Stumbler: Yes, and your English is very good.
Girl: That is because I am from California.
Stumbler: You can speak Korean, too?
Girl: Yes, of course.
Stumbler: I'm trying to learn Korean, but it is difficult
because I am an old man
Girl: I know.

Being sufficiently humbled by a 7 year old, I said goodbye and entered the Amazon Jungle portion of the Aquarium. After spending about 2 hours at the COEX Aquarium, we hiked back to the train station, and headed home. We went back to the apartment, dropped off YS#3 who was too tired for dinner, and headed out to the restaurant for dinner with JI, SY2, JK and IA. As usual, I really enjoyed the kimchi samgyeopsal. Mrs. Stumbler liked many of the foods. We had a good time, with good food and conversation. A great end to our long day.

Enjoying Dinner 

One the way home, we stopped briefly at one of my favorite bars to introduce my family to my bartender friends. We were served some "chocolate rocks" and "seaweed cookies" for dessert. After a short visit, we said goodbye to everyone and headed home. We opened to door to the apartment and were greeted with loud rock and roll music and YS#3 laying on the sofa. She had found "Back to the Future" movie in my DVD collection, and was entertaining herself in full Dolby 5.1 surround sound. We all slept soundly from our long and tiring day.

Today promises to be an easy day. Mrs. Stumbler will have a cooking lesson from SY to make my favorite Korean dish, sundubu jjigae. It will probably involve a short trip to the store, too. Other than that, I plan to rest all day long and be a bum.

Friday we went up to the DMZ at Munsan, to the Unification Observatory. Despite some rain very early in the morning, the day was beautiful but windy. As we were leaving the apartment, I suggested to the women that they bring along coats. This turned out to be a good thing, especially when we were outside on the observation deck.

The Stumblers at the DMZ 

You can see the North Korean "Promotional Village" over our shoulders in the photo above. The wind is demonstrated by Mrs. Stumbler's hair in my face. The water in the Han River ebbs and flows with the tide, and was near the low point as can be seen. The presentation said that at this point, the distance from South Korea to North Korea was just over 3km, only a 15 minute walk. Just a short distance along the river, clearly visible, the distance was 460m. This is my second visit to the observatory, and one thing different this trip is that both sides have stopped the use of loudspeaker broadcasts. I clearly remember on my last visit hear the sounds of "Oh Suzanna" being broadcast to the North. I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee....

Today's Konglish Sighting - a sign in the gift shop proclaimed "Don't Waste Wastes". We had to get SC to tell us the true meaning, which was "Reduce Waste".

After seeing all there is to see at the Observatory, we went to lunch in Munsan at a western "Family" Restaurant. The name was "Santarosas", and the interior decorations had a Christmas theme, and background music was Christmas songs. I finally concluded they got this from the "Santa" part of their name, although the food style was Italian, and they featured a map of Italy on their logo. After considerable deliberations over the menu choice (the Stumbling girls are too picky, even for western foods), we enjoyed a delicious meal. Next we drove around a nearby "artists village", admiring the very unusual houses and art galleries. Then it was home so the The Stumbler could have a rest before the evening dinner with The Chairman.

After a good rest, we proceeded to meet CH at The Chairman's home for a delicious dinner. Mrs. Chairman had reportedly been shopping and cooking since 1pm that day, and in hindsight that seems too short a time, given the incredible amount and variety of foods we were served. Fortunately, there was so much variety that even my the picky Stumbling Girls were able to find enough food to eat. Just considering the meats at the meal, we were served beef, pork, shrimp, squid, octopus and fish. I don't remember seeing chicken or duck, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in some of the dishes. The only food I didn't try was the raw fish, but had I not been so full by the time it was served I would have tried some. The only thing I didn't like was some special drink made with nuts and grains - very thick. I was told it was an tradional beverage which many poor koreans would drink for dinner in less prosperous times past. Surprisingly, YS#4 enjoyed this drink.

Let me wrap up today's post with in interior design story. When John and I furnished the apartment, we enlisted the assistance of some professional designers (in a very loose sense). These ladies were given pretty much free reign to chose the styles of our furnishings, and John and I were very happy with the results. Fast forward to the present, and I can tell Mrs. Stumbler is not impressed with the decor. She would give me subtle hints, like telling me "I don't like your apartment decor". She must have thought all Korean homes were similarly decorated, because she commented with surprise how nice The Chairman's home was, and how it was decorated like a home should be. We will give the Korean home interior design award to The Chairman this year, I guess.

All for now. Today we head out to an Aquarium across town at the COEX complex, then it will be out to eat kimchi samgyeopsal (belly pork grilled on a rock)

Thursday was another easy day. We began with a trip to the E-Mart, for some shopping in preparation for cooking a western dinner for SY and YT. I wanted to have dinner cooked for her one time, since she cooked so many meals for me and John in the past. Mrs. Stumbler had planned on making her enchilada casserole since before we came to Korea, and brought along some tortillas in her suitcase. Also, she decided to make a lemon pie for dessert.

At E-Mart, we were looking for some final ingredients. Sour cream, and hopefully a pie crust. We struck out - none available, no sour cream, no pie crust. She adapted the recipe to use other ingredients instead of sour cream, and she decided to make her own pie crust from cookies (it only took 30 minutes to chose the right cookie in the store). We stocked up on some other items, vegetables, milk, bread, and the girls chose some ice cream bars. Then we ate lunch at the food court there at the E-Mart. The girls chose to eat at the McDonalds, but Mrs. Stumbler and I shared a pork cutlet from one of the Korean food places. I convinced the ajumma at the store to give me a small bowl of ddeokbokki with fish cake (떡볶기 + 오뎅) service - delicious.

When we got home, Mrs. Stumbler and YS#3 made the pie crust and pie. It was no-bake recipe (because we have no oven), and needed to chill in the refridgerator. Since we don't have a pie plate here, she improvised and used the skillet. Following pie making and YS#4 nap, we went to a nearby park and let the girls play some. YS#4 overcame her shyness this time, and we playing well with two Korean girls for about 30 minutes. I guess you don't need a lot of language skills to just swing and play in the dirt together.

After that, we proceeded to prepare the dinner. Since we don't have an oven, Mrs. Stumbler chose to cook the Enchilda Casserole in the microwave oven. However, we don't have a large dish, either. So she broke up the casserole into 4 separate bowls. They were four "mini casseroles". I decided to prepare my spicy vegetable stir fry with broccoli, zuchinni, onions, and peppers (the big kind, not the spicy kind). So my job for preparing the dinner was lots of vegetable chopping. And I also chopped the chili peppers for the enchilada dish - apparently too much, becuase the result was very spicy.

Mrs. Stumbler Preparing the Enchiladas 

We intended to photograph the final product, but we were so hungry when SY and YT arrived, we forgot. The food was a success with everyone. Mrs. Stumbler thought for certain we had prepared too much food, but there was a brief moment near the middle of the meal when I wondered it we had prepared enough. It worked out perfect, with almost all the food eaten. We got out the pie, and also some BR31 ice cream that SY and YT brought with them, and had a great dessert. When it was finished, we were all full.

Lemon Pie 

That BR31 ice cream was a mixture of several flavors, including one I had never tried. It was called "Shooting Star". I figured out the reason for it's name by surprise, when my mouth began tingling. Turns out it is laced with the candy that fizzles in your mouth. It has been a long time since I ate that kind of candy - it was a weird feeling.

We were too tired for another Pink Panther movie, so we played a short game (some word spelling game with special dice - even YS#4 could play it, because she can spell small words these days). Today we look forward to an tour of the DMZ, and also a dinner with a business colleague, whom I will simply call Chairman.

Tuesday was an easy day. We tried to walk to the small "stream" which is a branch of the Han River, and runs just a few blocks east of our apartment. But, we discovered that the route is blocked by a huge busy expressway, with no apparent way to cross. So, we changed our destination en-route and went to the playground and then the Carrefour for just some milk. "Just some milk" ended up being $45 in groceries in one large bag.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we planned to see the Korean War Memorial and the Yongsan Family park. On the way, we had to stop at the Delta ticket office to get the tickets re-printed (they don't have one at the airport, you have to find this really small office in downtown Seoul). Once we finished that task, we ate at a nearby KFC for lunch, then headed to the Korea War Memorial, which is a combination War Memorial and War Museum. It was a very good museum, and we spent much longer there than we expected.

At many times during the day yesterday, we kept encountering groups of students, both in our walking to find the Delta office and at the museum. Often, these students would "HI" or "HOW ARE YOU" to us, being very friendly and eager to say something in English. Usually, I would answer back in Korean, "Annyeong Haseyo", which would be followed by many "ooohhhh" and "aaaahhhh" by the students. It was so funny by the end of the day when this had happened over and over again. Some of them would just say "HI", and others would stay a few minutes and talk with us briefly.

Young Stumblers Trying to be Soldiers 

Upon entering the museum, we were wondering what route to follow, and looked at our brochure for suggestions. Then I noticed the big arrow on the floor, clearly labeled "Moving Direction". We got a chuckle out of this Konglish, and again on some exhibits that said "Don't Go Up".

Konglish Example #1 "Moving Direction" 

Konglish Example #2 "Don't Go Up" 

All in all, a good day. After ths museum, we decided to do the park on another day, and we headed back home. We ate (or threw out) all our leftovers, plus cooked some carrots and mandu. Mrs. Stumbler tried a mandu experiment - for the record I was totally against it. In the freezer, we have both kinds of mandu - those made for boiling, and those made for frying. We were making the fried dumplings, and she wanted to see if you could fry the ones made for boiling. I was worried the Mandu Police would show up at any moment and confiscate our cooking utensils. Fortunately, we did not get caught, and the experiment was a success. The boiling-type dumplings tasted very good when fried - the only slight drawback is that they are triangular, so there are three sides to cook, as opposed to the mandu indended for frying, which only have two sides to cook. I have a feeling next time we make the boiled dumplings, she will have another experiment and try to boil the ones made for frying. I can only hope the Mandu Police will be equally asleep on the job then as well.

We wrapped up the evening by watching the second of the Pink Panther Movies, "A Shot in the Dark". I laughed so hard that I had tears running down my face. I think the neighbors must have been wondering about me. Young Stumbler #3 said she couldn't decide what was more funny - watching the movie or watching me laugh at the movie.

Today's schedule is not fixed yet, but likely we will go and see the park we missed yesterday, and tonight we will have SY and YT over for a western-style dinner Mrs. Stumbler will cook (that is, if I can find some sour cream today). Annyeong.

Monday we embarked on a 56-minute train ride to the Children's Grand Park. It was a great place for the Young Stumblers to run around and play. They also have a zoo, various shows, and an amusement park. We didn't go to the amusement park, and the one show we tried to attend, at Elephant World, was closed. There's not much to narrate here, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves..

Children's Grand Park's Grand Fountain 

One of the Actors from the Elephant World Show 

YS#4 at the Playground 

Mr. Polar Bear Waiting for his Fish 

The Young Stumbers Take a Camel Ride 

During one of our breaks, next to several soccer fields full of energetic youth, Mrs. Stumbler got some snacks from her bag. I went to the snack booth and got some water and a package of three boiled eggs (actually, I was gambling that they would be boiled - what would someone do with raw eggs at a zoo?). The kids didn't like them, because they looked different. The color was light brown, almost the color of the egg shell. However, if you closed your eyes and ignored the color, the taste was almost the same as a "normal" boiled egg. Interesting. I saved the label, I will show it to some of my Korean friends for translation. I tried to translate some of the text myself, and came up with "Plaster of Paris".

The Long Day is Over... 

Thoroughly exhausted, we returned home on another 56-minute train ride. YS#4 immediately fell asleep on the train. At home, the Stumbling Family had various left overs. However, The Stumbler was missing Korea food, and went across the street for some sundubu jjigae. Finally, to wrap up the evening, we all watched "The Pink Panther" movie and ate banana ice cream.