Myeong-dong

After an early morning tutoring and walk through the park with Suhyuhn, I met a friend in  Myeong-dong.  We stopped for lunch and I was able to get japchae (yay!).  It's sweet potato noodles (they are nearly clear), with vegetables and topped with sesame seeds.  The noodles are cooked with some seasonings, and it's very tasty.  Of course it came with the usual sides, including one side of apples with what appeared to be mayonnaise all over them.  I tasted only one of those (bleah).  The tofu with the hot sauce is always tasty, and of course there are at least two kinds of kimchi, and there was a green onion pancake (chan).

Myeong-dong is another area with lots of shopping, although I haven't really found an area without lots of shopping.  We wandered through the streets mostly window shopping.  At one cosmetics store, there were women standing out front waving samples and trying to get people to come in to shop.  My mistake was to act like I was interested in their sample.  They grabbed my arm and started pulling me into their store.  And they also started dragging my friend into the store.  It was the most aggressive street marketing I've ever seen...kinda crazy.  I've learned my lesson...just ignore them.

There is also a beautiful cathedral in that area.  There was a wedding going on and there were lots of people milling around.  I learned from Angela and Mathias that many people get married there, including them and their son.  It was built in the 1800s in the Gothic style and is surrounded with beautiful gardens.  It's situated on top of a hill, so it's no wonder it's a popular wedding place.

My friend, who met her birth family when she was here last year, was going to meet her sisters later in the afternoon.  On the way back home I really started feeling tired and sniffley...I could feel a cold coming on.  At dinner, I told Angela and Mathias I was getting a cold, and they proceeded to give me homeopathic cold remedies, decongestants, and even offered to make me grog (lemon juice, honey and whiskey...hot).  I've been taking extra Vitamin C, drinking lots of water, and I think I'll take it easy today.

Happy Sunday!