Taekwondo and Seoul City Hall

Today’s itinerary I was very much looking forward to since the schedule was posted. We took a Taekwondo class and went to visited the impressive Seoul City Hall. 

Our first stop was to a traditional Taekwondo class where we learned the basic principles of martial art. We learned the three parts that make up taekwondo, tae – the legs, kwon- fists, and do- the head. Taekwondo focuses on kicking as the main form of impact between sparrers. We then were taught some basic exercises and training for practitioners of the art. We balanced beanbags on our feet and knees as well as trying out some basic kicks and touch sparring with partners. Overall, it was a very big highlight of the day and of the trip so far. 

Next, we were on our way to Seoul City Hall. Seoul City Hall is comprised officially now of 1 building but has an older building in front of it that used to be the city hall before the new one was built. The older branch, which is now converted into a library, still holds the old city mayor’s office. There you can sit at his desk and take a picture, and it also acts as a museum to the building’s history. The old city hall was built during the Japanese occupation of Korea and was the office of the Korean mayor during their occupation, afterward it continued being the mayor’s office until 2012 when the new building was built. The new Seoul City Hall has an impressive 9 floors with windows ground floor to ceiling and once held the world’s tallest vertical garden. There is also a protruding bubble which boasts a special window-like film that does not reflect light and is much easier to install and produce. We had an amazing tour of both buildings by a knowledgeable tour guide and were even able to take a picture with Seoul’s mascot Hechi.  

Next, we moved into Myongdong for the second time where we were given a bit of free time before dinner, so some people decided to go to a cat cafe. The cats were very cute and there was even one that let me pet their head for several minutes. Afterward we headed back to the meeting spot for another very filling dinner. I got kimchi jjigae and it was absolutely delicious and nearly put me to sleep. 

Afterward we headed back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep. Signing off for today see yall tomorrow!