We headed out from our apartment intending to visit Changdeokgung Palace but in our search for lunch we found ourselves in Bukchon. Bukchon is a neighbourhood of hanok (traditional Korean houses) and is a really popular spot to visit in Seoul. It’s also really hilly, so I’m glad we were there in the morning and not at the end of a long day walking around.

First off, our lunch. We came across a restaurant inside a hanok (unfortunately the inside was not original) but I think the food was fairly traditional. Joel got a raw beef bibimbap and I got “seasoned thistle” on rice, which turned out to be quite simple but once you add the sauce and all the side dishes it was a wonderful meal.

With some food in our belly we were ready to tackle those hills! Up we went and got a great view over the rooftops of the houses – there were some men working on re-roofing one. The area is residential, so some houses had signs saying “don’t sit here” and “keep quiet” etc. Sucks that some tourists have no respect for the locals. It was cool to see some places being renovated – we wondered if the area is expensive to live in, or if most people inherit the houses.

On our way down the hill we stopped for some hotteok and chapssal donuts (these are yummy, doughy, sweet treats; and the hotteok are filled with sugar and nuts/seeds).

Apparently there are 8 “scenes of Bukchon” and I think we must have missed some. Maybe we’ll find ourselves back there again to find the rest.