Namsan Tower

So this is overdue, but in my efforts to maintain consistent blog updates, I am doing it anyway!  Over the next couple of weeks you guys may be bombarded with posts about the cool things we've done.  Sorry, but not sorry, in advance.

One of the first trips we went on once we got our bearings in Seoul was to Seoul Tower, or Namsan Tower.  We, having mastered now the subway and (almost) bus systems here (more to come on that later), were happy to discover that it is really easy to get to touristy places here.  We took the gondola up to the base of the tower, which lies on top of one of the central mountains in the city.

Our obligatory(?) gondola selfie (is that a thing?)

Some views from the ride of the city.  It's amazing how much metropolis there is, and it just goes on for miles... as far as the eye can see in some places.

I got a lucky shot of a passing car so you can check out what the gondola looks like.  Note the sardine-like configuration of the people.  It's times like these when I am so glad we're tall.

We waited in line for this 4-ish minute ride for almost an hour, but hey, that's what you do, I guess.  Plus it was dirt cheap to do.  The views were great, and once we got to the top we checked out the locked gates on our way to the tower.  Seoul especially is a place for couples - they don't hang out anywhere but in public, because it's considered inappropriate.  As a result, there is SO much marketing targeted towards romance and couples (it's nauseating, and I'm a part of one).  The tradition at Namsan is that you lock a padlock onto the gate to symbolize your commitment and everlasting relationship. It makes for a cool photo, at least.

***BONUS TIP for any parents (or tech-unsavvy friends) that wish that I would make the pictures bigger - you can click the pictures and they will pop up into a slideshow. ;)

We finally made it to the base of the tower!

The park was pretty, but crowded.  Since we had to go on a holiday, that meant everyone else and their mom and dog had the day off too.  It's the sucky thing about living in a 24,000,000 urban populated area - traffic is everywhere.  Always.

See what I mean about the couples thing? Heart-shaped bushes, even.  Why?

We got lunch and found a churro stand, so we indulged! (We miss Mexican things, can you tell???)

And now for some of the glorious views from the day...

Pretty beautiful, right?  We also saw a cool war memorial on the way home with some awesome sculptures.  It was a great first adventure of many. Keep looking for more updates soon!