Back to the day when the weather in Seoul was about to get chilled, I started my simple holiday with nothing in particular. It took me half a day to realize why wasting my time lying in bed when I could have a whole town for myself (cause it was during Korea national long holiday so everyone would spend their quality time at home). So, I sprang up, grabbed a camera and headed to somewhere thrilled.

The place that popped up in my head at the time was “Bukchon Hanok Village”, the alleys surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace up-north of Seoul. The reason why this certain spot had come across my mind probably was because the place is always packed with both exotic and local tourists and I always wondered what’s it like if these people were gone. Now I had that chance haha!

Baengnyeon Samgyetang (백년토종삼계탕)

Well what much would you expect! The street to the alleys was sensationally empty. Most of the stores selling souvenirs and restaurants were closed. Perfect timing to capture the moment but absolutely bad timing for my empty stomach TT.  Luckily, one Samgye-tang (ginseng chicken soup) place called Baengnyeon Samgyetang (백년토종삼계탕) was running. It was such a live-saving. We had couple bowls of fine chicken soup and a mesmerized dish of crispy fried ginseng with reasonable prices.

Gahoe Hankyunghun Gallery Cafe (가회한경헌)

After having my tummy powered up, it’s time to resume the exploration. We were strolling through the village heading somehow towards Changdeokgung Palace and ran into a stunning designed coffee house, Gahoe Hankyunghun Gallery Cafe (가회한경헌). We then decided to stop here a bit for a few cup of tea but ended up spending much time until the sun was down admiring the exclusive beauty of this café. One wonderful holiday was indeed well spent.

Date of my visit: 23th September 2018