Another Day, Another Bibimbap

April 11, 2026April 16, 2026 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

We were back in Seoul for the sole purpose of eating Bibimbap and to catch our flight back to Helsinki. We did eat Bibimbap for most of our meals and lots of Banana Milk too. Fun fact was, there was a stamp tour happening in Seoul. So I was able to get stamps for my journal. That was something new for me after being back and I got a souvenir for completing the stamp tour too. So fun! The Mobile Tourist Information Staff were really friendly as they stamp their way to my journal. And the stamps are so pretty!

But the main thing for me in Seoul was to really enjoy the traditional tea houses. I love these tea houses. I love the old traditional atmosphere and the ambience of older people chatting away. There was beauty in them. We also planned to walk the 10 km stretch of the Cheonggyecheon Stream. We did half way and decided that we already did a lot of walking during our two weeks holiday. This time we also stayed at Jongno 3 that was close to both Insadong and Ikseondong Hanok Village. The location was so convenient that even Myeongdong was reacheable by foot. Jongno 3 was also a good place to watch the daily lives of the locals. Streets were filled with food tents and stalls. Many elderly people passing by. Some were drank. Some were sober. People drinking coffee. Some old people pulling their carts full of cardboard boxes, just like from the K-dramas where the heroes help to push. People just going about their day. Just the ordinary everyday life that I enjoyed watching.

Although I’m not a fan of palaces, we visited two this time. First was the Deoksugung Palace as recommended by the Tourist Information Staff because of the Cherry Blossoms there. And since we were in that area already, we decided to also visit the Gyengbokgung Palace to experience seeing lots of tourists wearing the traditional Hanbok. It was fun! But the sun was also blazing hot. I was totally unprepared for it as I walked under the heat of the bright sun. And did you know that under Gwanghwamun Square is a large underground area? I didn’t know that! So that was interesting to explore.

It was hard to say goodbye to Seoul as I bear the thought of not coming back. But let’s see. Let’s see…

My travel Journal for this trip will be published soon! You can also follow my journal at https://www.instagram.com/sweetpugnacity

All photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainen.com

Lost in Seoul

April 10, 2024August 8, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

For our last two days in Seoul, we didn’t have any concrete plan. We just walked aimlessly hoping to find something new and interesting. This day, we walked towards Insadong and found a very aesthetically pleasing cafe that served amazing sandwiches. Then we found a pretty traditional tea house and tried 팥빙수 (Bingsu) with Jujube tea. The shop lady said, we were sat at a very famous place where a scene from Guardian, a very popular South Korean television series, was filmed. For the K-Drama fans out there, apparently, I was sat where Kim Go-eun was sat as shown in Episode 11. The Korean Traditional Ice cream was really good though!

However for the evening, it was decided that we will spend our last evening in Seoul by the Banpo Bridge, something that we’ve missed last time because we ended up in Hanggang Bridge. It was so pretty and lively! Watch the reel here.

We continued walking aimlessly the next day before heading to the airport for our 21:40 flight to Helsinki. We passed by familiar places but also found new ones. We saw many office people walking back to their offices after lunch carrying iced americano. We saw many restaurants where the locals go, passed by lots and lots of interesting cafes, a supermarket selling strawberries and muscat grapes, an empty Gyeonghuigung Palace that was free to enter, Cherry blossoms turning into leaves…. Seems like we’ve experienced the first bloom, full bloom and the falling petals during this trip.

We ate spicy noodles at a local restaurant then had our last Bingsu at a Traditional Tea House with Citrus Tea. It was the end of this holiday and time to say goodbye to Seoul. You can watch the reel here.

Lastly for the ever repeating tips:

Good walking shoes are important. I don’t have to say more!
Carry cash! You will not regret it as some places only take cash.
TMoney is a must-have when using public transport! (IC Card in Japan)
Make use of Naver Map or Google Map for route and transportation schedule.
Having a pocket Wifi with us all the time was very good. I highly recommend it and it was not costly at all!
Buy your flight tickets early as prices tend to spike up.
Book accommodation that has free cancellation. At least, I did many cancellations in this trip.

I felt like coming back to South Korea made me do what I missed doing last year. I must also say that I’m not planning to go back to South Korea anytime soon, except if a miracle happens, like being able to go to a Kpop concert. I’m always thankful to South Korea for its great music, good food, efficient and affordable public transport, kind and helpful people, cleanliness, for making me feel safe and for allowing me to use the little Korean that I know. But Japan is still in my list. I would not mind going to Gunma (again), to visit Kanazawa and to take the train to Fukui. I would go back to relax at an Onsen and look for Eki stamps. Hopefully, this will come true! And here is my travel journal. And the very last reel is about food, the very essence as to why I travel!

Again in Seoul

April 7, 2024November 7, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After a few wonderful days in the Kyushu region of Japan, we flew back to Seoul. This time we stayed in Ikseondong. It was fun to see familiar places from last year. However, I felt that there were many more people. I guess the restrictions last year made the place less crowded. The Cherry Blossom has also arrived in Seoul. So the next day, we took the train to Wonmisan Mountain to see the Azaleas with the Cherry Blossom in the background. We didn’t just go to Azalea Hill but we climbed the summit of Wonmisan Mountain. It was a great, unexpected challenge but we did it! The Azaleas were breathtaking. It’s hard to imagine how the Azalea Hill actually looks like unless you are physically there. It was a vast ocean of pink and purple. So pretty! Check out the reel here.

For the evening, we had to visit the N Seoul Tower again. It was so foggy last year so we wanted to go again on a sunny day with the Cherry Blossom adorning the Namsan Park. After too much climbing in Wonmisan Mountain, we decided to take the cable car going up to the Tower. But somehow we managed to enter the climbing path! And in the end, we decided to walk down anyway. We reached a total of 15,70 km walk for the day. We were tired yet happy! Check out the reel here.

We were also in luck that we were able to eat at Myeongdong Kyoja, something that we missed the last time we were in Seoul. Myeongdong Kyoja is a Michelin star, family-owned restaurant since 1966. We were the last customers of the day. The Kalguksu was very good!

Photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainen.com

Back in Seoul

March 29, 2024April 14, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After exactly a year, I was back in Seoul! I just can’t resist the thought of not seeing the Cherry Blossom season in this part of the world. So after an 11 hours and 45 minutes flight from Helsinki, we arrived in Seoul and this time we stayed in Hongdae. The initial plan was to stay near the Namsam Park and immediately climb the N Seoul Tower once we were settled at our hotel. But a few days before our flight, I learned that the Cherry blossom was not there yet. So I cancelled our hotel near the Namsam Park and decided to explore Hongdae instead. They said Hongdae is for the young and for watching Baskers perform. Unfortunately, we didn’t come across any Baskers during our one night stay in Hongdae. However, it is true that this is a place for the young as there were many young people walking in the street. There were many nice cafes though and I really like the Hot Yujacha Tea that was recommended by the staff of one of the cafes we visited. Because we were already in Hongdae, I also visited the flagship stores of both Kakao Friends and Line Friends. And one of the best things was to enjoy Banana Milk again! You can find the reel of the day here.

Here is a coffee moment in Hongdae before we took the train to Busan. When we were in Busan a year ago, I really wanted to take the ferry to Fukuoka, Japan. But we didn’t have enough time as it was our first visit to Busan. But this time, we did it. We took the overnight ferry from Busan to Fukuoka and it was an adventure of a lifetime! Please click on the links to catch a glimpse of how it was.

The next morning, we woke up in Fukuoka, Japan!

Bye, Seoul. Until next time!

April 5, 2023November 11, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

It was hard to say goodbye. But good things do come to an end. However, we still have a few hours before our flight which leaves at 21:20. So we checked out and without prior plan, we headed to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). This place is huge and it was very easy to get lost inside. It was really impressive.

Then we decided to go to Gwangjang Market to check out the stall featured on Netflix’ Street Food Asia. It was such an experience and the knife cut noodles was good and this market is really clean.

Some take aways from this holiday:

Good walking shoes are important. We were walking more than 10 kilometres each day.
Carry cash! You will not regret it as some places only take cash.
TMoney is a must have when using public transport!
I didn’t use Naver Map, although, I have it on my phone. I guess I’m just too familiar with Google Map and it worked well.
I didn’t use the Kakao T app either, although, I also have it on my phone. We didn’t need to ride a taxi at all.
Having a pocket Wifi with us all the time was very good. I highly recommend it and we only paid 39 EUR for the entire 14 days.
Buy your flight tickets early as prices tend to spike up.
Book accommodation that has free cancellation because there might be changes along the way.

I love that I got to listen to music in South Korea that I’m familiar with. I love that South Korea has an efficient and affordable public transport. I especially love taking the bus as I enjoy looking out. I love that they have clean toilets everywhere. I love that South Korea is generally clean and that I don’t have to think twice whether I should eat street food or not. I love that restaurant meals include drinking water. I’m not a fan of buying bottled water. I love that there is no tipping as we are not use to that in Europe. I love the fun of navigating the language barrier and being able to use the very few Korean words that I know. I love that the people we’ve met were really kind and helpful. You get the sense that they do care. I felt safe in South Korea. There was no single moment when I felt that I was in a dangerous situation. (CCTVs are everywhere!)

I can truly say that it was an amazing holiday. I’m so glad that we did it at the right time when the Cherry Blossom was in full bloom. We also got to fly over the North Pole on our way back to Helsinki and we have Diplomas to prove it. 😀 Lastly, I’m happy that the 50th country I’ve visited is South Korea. Bye for now, Seoul. Until next time!

Check out the reel here:

Bye, Seoul. Until Next Time

My South Korea Travel Journal can be found here.

Check out the travel video here.

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

All photos from my South Korea posts are by Ari Vitikainen at arivitikainen.com

The last full day in Seoul

April 5, 2023September 19, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

The rain continued the next day but that didn’t stop us from our plan of going to the N Seoul Tower for our last evening in Seoul. But before that, we visited the Seoul Museum of History and learned about how Seoul became how it is now. This city changed a lot and progressed rapidly in such a short span of time. I really love the model of the City of Seoul where we can see Seoul at a glance. It was fun to check out the places where we have been over the last days. The museum is free entrance and it was quite empty.

So now off to N Seoul Tower. The cable car is just a walking distance from our hotel and the rain stopped. The Daebak Company gave us free tickets to N Seoul Tower and two free drinks. Yes, it was not raining anymore but it was very foggy. The staff at the ticket counter told me that we can reuse the tickets within three months because it was a very foggy day. We went up anyway and enjoyed our drinks. I thought the fog was very pretty and showed me another side of Seoul.

Check out the reel here:

Last Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Rainy Day in Seoul

April 4, 2023April 22, 2023 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This day was a rainy day and we went to see the Lotte World Tower. Although the main reason was to really see the Seokchon Lake surrounded by Cherry Blossom. It was really pretty. We were sat infront of the Lotte World Magic Island when the light rain started pouring. It was a good idea that when we were heading to Lotte World Mall, I decided to get us some umbrellas at the convenience store. I felt confident that way than all the time worrying if the rain comes.

When we went back to Myeongdong, the rain kept going and I can’t believe why some people still haven’t invested on an umbrella! 🙂 But we continued exploring the food street and enjoyed a bite of this and that. Street food in Myeongdong is a must!

Check out the reel here:

Rainy Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Three more nights in Seoul

April 3, 2023September 19, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 3 Comments

This day was very special because were were visiting the Daebak Company in Hongdae. They were in the process of packing the Spring Boxes so the office has pretty Spring boxes in every corner. I really enjoyed seeing the process and all the hard work they put into it. I was also interviewed for their SNS and I really enjoyed talking about my Korean experience. It was also so lovely to meet new people and learn new things. They treated us to coffee and to a very fancy lunch at a traditional restaurant with our own private room, just like in K-Dramas when the conglomerates meet. 🙂 I really appreciate that they took time for us amidst their busy schedule. I love hearing their stories and getting to know them.

Then we walked around Hongdae but there were not lots to see during the daytime. So I hope to visit Hongdae again someday. But we went in for coffee at Koriko Cafe. So cute! I can’t resist buying some Studio Ghibli merch. We went back to the hotel so that we can take the tripod to prepare for the night shots of the bridges. I really wanted to see the Banpo Bridge though but we ended up by the Hanggang Bridge which was really pretty at night and we also walked over it. Well, maybe next time I’ll get to see the Banpo Bridge.

Check out the reel here:

Another Fun Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Back in Seoul

April 2, 2023May 7, 2023 by elainevitikainen ♥ 2 Comments

We took the KTX train back to Seoul and this time we stayed in Myeongdong. Our hotel was in middle of all the action. There were food carts everywhere. There were shops everywhere. The first thing we did after check-in was to have an evening walk along Cheonggyecheon all the way to Gwanghwamun Square. It was a Saturday and there were lots of people and yet Cheonggyecheon has a peaceful feel to it. We passed by a studio and there was a celebrity waving and greeting the people outside. I don’t know who he was.

The next day we took all the sun in while going along the K-Star Road just because I wanted to see the SHINee Gangnamdol. It was so hot! From there we took the bus to get to Seoul Forest. But before heading to Seoul Forest, I went to SM Entertainment just to see where many great K-Pop songs were produced. I also went to Kwangya Shop and enjoyed watching the MVs on the big screen. And what a moment when CHASE was played! Then we went to Seoul Forest. It was packed with people having picnic. It was warm, sunny and a Sunday so why not!

Then we did something that was not in the plan at all and that was going to COEX to see the Starfield Library. But we did some shopping there too and enjoyed a wonderful meal at an Italian restaurant. I also went to the Ktown4u to get Onew’s Circle SMini because it was not available anymore at the Kwangya shop. We also saw the Statue of Gangnam Style. 🙂 It was kind of a K-Pop day, to be honest!

Check out the reels here:

Evening Walk in Seoul

Fun Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

First Day in Seoul

March 25, 2023September 11, 2023 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The plan for this day was to visit the Bukchon Hanok Village. Our hotel in Insadong was a walking distance from it. So we headed fresh for the day and ready to explore Seoul. Sadly and with much regret, we had breakfast at Starbucks just because I really wanted to have my Starbuck’s name as per tradition. But in Seoul, they don’t allow disposable cups anymore which is great!

After breakfast, we walked to the Bukchon Hanok Village. It is a pretty place but it is important to remember that it is a residential area so people actually live there. It is very necessary to be respectful and as it says in many places, Please be quiet. We found some kind of a museum on a hill with tea on offer and a great spot to see the Seoul Skyline, although, it was not much of a view during the day. The place also has a traditional house which is fully decorated just like the ones in the historical K-Dramas.

Next stop was a Tea House called Cha Teul. We didn’t just happened on this place but I googled best tea houses in Seoul beforehand. Cha Teul made me so happy and it was not pricey at all. It was packed so we waited for a while to get a table but it was so worth it. I ordered a Quince Pear tea and it was perfect!

Then we walked to the Changgyeonggung Palace and the Secret Garden. The Cherry Blossom is already in full bloom so the palace ground was full of visitors. We didn’t find the Secret Garden anything special. Maybe during a different season, for example during summer or autumn, the garden would look beautiful. After the Secret Garden tour, we tried to visit the Changgyeonggung Palace. Unfortunately, we actually bought tickets to Chandeokgung Palace. In the end, we decided to call it a day visiting palaces so we didn’t get to use the tickets we bought.

So instead, we hopped on a bus to Myeongdong. But there was a rally. Up until now, we don’t know what was the protest all about (I can’t read Korean!) but there were lots of people and lots of police too. The bus got diverted so we took another bus and eventually walked some kilometres to Myeongdong. It was late and we were hungry. We happened on a restaurant that has a wall showing photos and autographs of famous people who ate there. The food was really good and the owner was really friendly. Also, notice the cute red apron I’m wearing. These aprons are readily available at restaurants to avoid food stains. How smart! We were also full and happy!