Dongdaemun

Dongdaemun means Great Eastern Gate and was one of the original gates of Seoul from the Joseon dynasty which has left its imprint on Korean society. Joseon is what Korea was called in old Chinese.

Before reaching the gate I first visited the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), with its award winning curvy building designed by Zaha Hadid. It's impossible to convey the shape of the building without an aerial view so you have to be content with various views of the structure.

There is an open space with a sand replica of the ancient city layout.

At that time I still had part of a corn cob from the day before and I tossed a few kernels to wandering pigeons. A Korean girl sitting at a nearby table was so phobic when the pigeons wandered close to her that she turned to her boyfriend for protection. You'd think they were rats from her reaction.

More of the curves.

Another section.

This might have been the entrance to the galleries which I didn't visit. Note the giant everyday objects.

A tapered section.

Giant cartoon figures.

Even the buildings around the DDP look shapely; Koreans seem to have a flair for design.

This was a field of LED flowers. Maybe I should have come back at night to see them.

A bit further north is Cheonggyecheon, a stream in the middle of the city. A raised highway was demolished and a public space created as part of urban renewal.

A intentional slightly wild look.

A respite from the city.

One of the locals.

Family fun.

A public library or book shop I think. There was also a fashion show happening nearby.

A zoom shot of Dongdaemun to close off this afternoon episode. After this I retired to the guesthouse for a rest before venturing out in the evening.