Added this photo because apparently, this is the only Starbucks in the world which name is not written in English. And it's located in Insadong.
Insadong is an area that is pretty famous between tourists, it sells a lot~ of souvenirs that you can probably find cheaper somewhere else but it's easier to find them in Insadong.
There are also a lot of tea houses, traditional restaurants etc.
And in between the many small stores selling ink brushes, national flags, masks and postcards, you'll also find a few cosmetic shops and a few stores selling all things Hallyu.
In conclusion, it's basically the place everyone goes to when they notice on their last day in Korea that they didn't buy any souvenirs for their family and friends yet.
I went there with a Korean friend of mine because she wanted to buy some traditional Korean things to take with her before going abroad.
It's not the cheapest place for souvenirs, but if you're on a tight schedule and a not-so-tight budget or if you just want to look around, it's definitely worth a visit.
How to get there:
Take subway line #3 to Anguk Station.
Get out of exit 1, walk straight and cross the street when you reach Samcheongdong.
If you see a statue of a giant paintbrush, you're on the right track.
On the side of Insadong-gil, you'll see a few of those guys selling traditional korean sweets. They'll probably call out to you in whatever language they think you're speaking. Those guys are usually hilarious, able to speak some sentences in a lot~ of languages, and good at making sweets. You can judge that yourself, because they make those sweets right in front of you, which is quite fascinating. They start off with some kind of dough, then pull, then place it together, then pull again and at the end, it looks like many thin threads.
And the sweets taste great as well. But be careful if you're not planning to buy anything, because those guys know how to sweet-talk people into purchasing those sweets :P
This is Ssamziegil, a really interesting part of Insadong.
It's kind of like a mini shopping mall, but the interesting part of it is that you do not need to climb up any stairs. There's a path that just curls upwards and you can just walk along that and check out all the small stores along it.
Some are really...interesting?
They also have stairs, if you want to go the faster way back down.
And since there are some art galleries and artists selling their items in Ssamziegil, there are many creative things hidden in there. Like those giant, pretty roses for example.
And on top of Ssamziegil, there's a small area to relax..
Including an alley for lovers because couple culture is huge in Korea.
You can purchase those somewhere, write a message on it with your beloved one and then hang it up there.
There were so many of those...
They also had some interesting statues all the way on the roof of it.
And some lovers chose to hang their messages on those statues ^^
There's also a small store of the famous Choo Choo Cats in there ^^
And at the ground, you can buy some famous...poop bread.
There are many of those all over Insadong, and I only found out what they were after I came back from Korea ^^''
Those are ice-cream cones.
You wouldn't think that when seeing them, right? :D
Now, if you're really hungry and not just in need of some ice-cream, there's a pretty famous Mandu place in Insadong as well.
Just walk through Insadong, if you're coming from the direction of the paintbrush statue this alley will be on your left side.
They also sell Mandu to-go, if you're in a hurry ^^
The menu. Lots~ of different Mandu variations, but also some standard dishes like Naengmyeon.
And some sauces for you to add yourself if you need more ^^
I chose the assorted Mandu plate:
It costs 8,000Won (roughly 5,60€ or about 8$ I guess) and it may not looks like much, but the dumplings are really big...so big, that you actually need to cut them in half at least. With scissors.
Korea is really practical. Everything works so much better with scissors :D
Steamed dumplings~ those were quite yummy ^^
No dumpling-dumplings.
I didn't really like them to be honest. Too much meat for me.
Super yummy fried dumplings.
Those were so, soooooo good :D
They were really crispy, but still nice to eat and I just loved them ^^
The filling of the fried Mandu~ ^^
So, that's all about my adventures in Insadong.
If you ever go there, try the Mandu and tell me if you liked them :D
