In fall 2008 we attended the Ubicomp 2008 conference which took place in Seoul, South Korea. During the week-ends before and after the conference we had some time to explore this 25 million metropolis aboard the Han river.
sightseeing
Seoul, the heart of the South Korean republic is an amazing city with countless cultural and historic sights. Traveling from our conference location at the COEX Center to what is considered downtown it took us roughly 45 minutes by train. This gives an impression on the dimensions of the city. Here are some of the places I was able to visit:
- Jongmyo Shrine:
Unfortunately I only had time to visit one of the numerous shrines in Seoul. The architecture reminds me of my travels to China...
- Changdeokgung Palace:
This palace is part of the UNESCO cultural world heritage and located next to the Jongmyo Shrine. I took a guided English tour which gave a good insight in Korean culture and history.
- Gyeongbok Palace:
The largest palace in Seoul is also one of the most spectacular. It also includes the National Folk Art Museum of Korea.
- N Seoul Tower:
Though I did not go to the top because of the bad weather, the hill the tower is located on provides spectacular views of the greater Seoul area. You can either take the bus or a funicular. Unfortunately the only way to get there by foot is to walk besides the road.
- Bongeunsa TempleThis temple is located right in front of the COEX mall. It consists of one main temple and several small buildings and is beautifully located in on the hill side. If you are looking for souvenir - the shop has really nice wooden buddhas.
- Jongsan Electronic Market:
Especially for me as a technically interested person, this is an amazing place with several thousand electronic stores selling everything from cameras and mobile phones to laptops and TVs.
eating
Korea has an awesome cuisine which I already missed the day I returned back home. Thanks to the student volunteers o the conference and some of their friends we got a good overview of Korean cuisine. There are numerous nice little restaurants in Namdaemun and Insadong. Just walk away a bit from the "tourist" routes (Seoul is not really a tourist location) in some small side streets to experience the real Korean food.