Seoul, March 18

Up earlyish on Sunday, we wandered out, looking for breakfast. But we were stymied by an endless river of runners. Seems the Seoul Marathon was in full swing, and directly in front of us and breakfast. Hrrmmm. We waited a good 8 minutes, looking for the end-- no dice. As more impatient people Frogger-ed through, Aaron n I decided to do the same. It took quite awhile to get my nerve-- I was sure I'd trip somebody and ruin their marathon. But I eventually made it through, and we walked up to the next street, only to find the marathon was doubled back on this street as well! This time there were subway stations, so we were able to go down and over, instead of through.

I really like encountering these everyday events. I know I'm a tourist, and that most events I find in other cities/countries are ones I specifically travelled to see. But things like the marathon reminds me that I'm not a part of this city/country-- that it has concrete things for its citizens besides the flashy sites.

For breakfast we headed to the foreigner area in hopes of finding a British style breakfast place. A big, heavy breakfast sounded so great... but we settled for some bagel sandwiches. For our dining entertainment, we watched a drunk man drag a chair a good 30 feet, to thwack it against a police car. The police then had a fun time trying to maneuver him into the car. The entire street just stopped to watch this guy wrap his arms around a telephone pole and push the cops away. After breakfast, we toured Changgyeong-gung. We walked around, saw the buildings, sat and watched some crazy ducks, read a bit.




Then it was time to hit the markets. We found our way to the oldest open-air market in Korea, some 600 years old. We didn't buy much, but we did eat the super-fresh octopus! We'd hoped to find a place with the living, whole baby octopodes, but instead we found this easier option. Take 1 living adolescent octopus, pull him outta the water, chop thoroughly, and serve with sauce. Yes, the plate is filled with squirming bits. And the bit are delicious!! The sucker cups grab onto the inside of your mouth as you chew, making for a very interesting time. But seriously-- it's really tasty!