When the boys were little, the family would sometimes travel with me on domestic travel but Suzy would always swear “never again” after she would be stuck in a hotel room somewhere with two toddlers. Fast forward to when I told her I had meetings coming up in Seoul. Seeing as she is obsessed with Korea and the culture, she quickly broke her “never again” mantra to take the family to Korea.
This was the first time Suzy and the boys had ever been out of North America (I’m counting the Bahamas as part of North America). Due to scheduling we only had a week in total for the trip. Believe me when I say, traveling halfway around the world in one week is rough but we made the most of the time we had there and crammed in a lot.
We got an Air BnB in Itaewon because of the prominence of English-speaking restaurants and shops there because of the U.S. Army base. The public transportation in Seoul is AMAZING, with clean, reliable trains and cheap taxis. Everyone was so helpful and honest, a point that was evident when Nate left his phone in the train station and we got it back within an hour! The house was awesome, it has jut been remodeled with help from the Palm Beach Roofing Expert.
Korea is an amazing country we had an amazing time. Our favorite spots included Insadong, the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namdaemun Market, the N Seoul Tower, the Figure Museum, and a day trip to the DMZ. We ate as much local food as the boys could handle, including some good street food. I even developed an appreciation for kimchi mandu.
Suzy and the boys flew home right before my meetings started and I was able to tell my fellow meeting attendees all the places to visit and eat. It was great vacation and I can’t wait for them to travel with me again!
Killing time in the Sky Club in Detroit On the plane for our 12 hour flight The boys getting ready Flying above the arctic circle Major detour around North Korean air space Gangnam style in Gangnam At the Coex Aquarium Nate and Antman at the Figure Museum An old favorite, Bumblebee And here I forgot my blaster Suzy and Nate getting the K-Pop on at SM Town Korean BBQ Yes please! Ceremonial drum Outside Deoksugung Deoksugung Inside Deoksugung More amazing architecture at Deoksugung Sungnyemun Gate N Seoul Tower in the distance The view from the top of N Seoul Tower Looking down from N Seoul Tower The best street food! Some legit bibimbop Statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin Statue of King Sejong The gate outside Gyeongbokgung Palace At Gyeongbokgung Palace Chris is a bit taller than your average Korean Close up of the gargoyles YMCA at the DMZ Trying to reunite Korea Standing guard Looking through the binoculars at the statue of Kim Il Sung Selfie with North Korea in the background North Korea is actually beautiful This train station on the border was built in anticipation of reunification Train to Pyongyang Starbucks in Korea At the top of Lotte Tower Seoul Sky Glass floor at the top of Lotte Tower
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