After exploring all the beautiful cherry blossoms in Jinhae and Gyeongju, we headed up to Seoul. Brandon comes to Seoul all the time for work and couldn’t wait to show us this amazing city! We stayed at the Dragon Hill Lodge, which is a military hotel located on Yongsan Army Base. It was perfect for our family. Most of the base has been closed down so I’m not sure how long this hotel will be open. Another great place to stay is the Millennium Seoul Hilton. Brandon stays here when he comes for work and it is in a perfect location to walk around and enjoy everything in the city.
After getting all settled into the hotel, we headed to Vatos Tacos. This is the most famous taco place in Seoul. Everyone I know recommended we eat here! It was so amazing, and the first real tacos I had eaten in almost three years! We ate until we couldn’t eat anymore!
The next morning we headed to my favorite place in all of Seoul to see the cherry blossoms…Lotte World. It’s the world’s largest indoor theme park, and also has an outdoor park called “Magic Island” that is built on an artificial island inside Seokchon Lake. I wish I had been able to get an aerial view of the park because it is absolutely beautiful.
We were so lucky and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. We were there the first week of April so if you are planning a trip to see the cherry blossoms that is the perfect time of the year.
The great thing about Lotte World is that if you come on a cold or rainy day you can spend all day exploring the indoor part of the park. If you are military you can get 50% off by showing your military ID when you purchase tickets at the entrance. The indoor section is called Adventure, and consists of 4 floors of rides, activities, and food. There is also a hot air balloon ride that will take you to the very top of the park and makes for amazing views of the entire park. All of my boys had so much fun exploring all the rides! My favorite was the carousel!
After exploring most of the indoor area, we headed outside to Magic Island. To get to Magic Island you cross a bridge that is so beautiful especially with all the cherry blossoms in bloom. It also leads to the perfect photo spot overlooking the Lotte World Castle. Magic Island sits right on Seokchon Lake, which is the most beautiful lake in Seoul to walk around and take in the magic of the cherry blossoms. There is also amazing views of Lotte World Tower which is the 5th tallest building in the world and the tallest in all of Korea! I would have loved to go up in it but we ran out of time! See if you can spot it in some of the pictures!
Watching the sunset over the park and the cherry blossoms was so beautiful. Then you watch as the park is all lit up at night! There is also an amazing parade inside the park that is one of the best I have ever seen! All of my boys had the best day exploring Lotte World!
The next morning we got up early to head to the DMZ. Again, this is a place I never thought I would visit. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Joint Security Area (JSA) stretch for just over a mile on either side of the border between North Korea and South Korea. We decided to book our DMZ tour through the Dragon Hill Lodge, and it was the perfect tour. I learned so much about the Korean War and the history of Korea from our tour guide that I did not know. The tour stopped at several locations along the way. We were also able to go down in the tunnels that separate North and South Korea. You are not allowed to take pictures in the tunnels but at the end you can look through a little hole in the tunnel and see the North. The walk through the tunnels was definitely not an easy walk. It was very long and tight in some places. At the end of the tour, we visited Dorasan Train Station that connects the North and South. It was an amazing day, and my boys loved to learn all about the history. Braydon enjoyed it the most, and he is my son that wanted to go home when the tensions were so high between our countries.
After we returned from our tour, we decided to rest for awhile at the hotel and then head to Myeongdong Market for some food and shopping. If you love Korean beauty products this is definitely the place for you. It is a beauty lovers paradise. One of my sweet friends went to Korea all the time and would always bring me back the most amazing face masks. Myeongdong also has clothing shops, restaurants, cafes, and the most amazing street food. We had to try a little of all the street foods and everything was so delicious! My favorite place was Milky Bee Ice Cream! They have perfect rose shaped ice cream in several different flavors. You have to try one if you are ever in Seoul!
Before visiting Seoul, I was not sure we would have enough to do. Brandon kept telling me what an amazing city it is. He was absolutely right, and there was so much that I didn’t have time to fit in. I need to go back and finish my Seoul bucket list before we leave Okinawa. Seoul now has a piece of my heart!
