Jagalchi is a huge multistorey fish market. By fish of course the Koreans include all kinds of edible sea denizen, including some that other cultures might hesitate to eat.
This is just one aisle, on the ground floor only mind you.
And another.
There is an outside section too.
A semi-covered section.
Piles of shellfish in this section.
Octopuses. I thought the 국산 on the sign means octopus but a translator tells me it just means domestic. As opposed to imported, I suppose.
Looks like they are ordered by tentacle length.
Bigger ones.
I couldn't resist dropping in on a restaurant to have another serve of jeonbokjuk (abalone porridge). As usual, lots of side dishes accompanied.
I have a feeling the flat strips closest to the camera are seaweed. I should have taken notes.
Another look indoors.
The harbour view outside the market.
And a wire sculpture emblematic of the market.
I started walking back towards central station, and the story continues in the next post.
I had a lunch of jeonbokjuk (abalone porridge) at a stall in the market. It was delicious. I explored the nearby City Hall metro station shopping arcade. These underground arcades are convenient for commuters and provide shelter from the weather for the shops.
Above ground is the architecturally impressive Seoul City Hall with the old one in front. In front of them is a plaza.
Rubber matting lined the ground and roadies were setting up for an event while citizens enjoyed the fresh air. I myself had a bit of nap time on the matting, using my daypack as a pillow.
Across the avenue is the Daehanmun, which is the entrance to Deoksugung, one of the royal palaces, which I didn't explore.
This was a curiosity I found in one of the entrances to the walkway between City Hall and Eujiro-1 ga subway stations, piano stairs. When you tread on a step, photoelectric sensors will trigger the corresponding note to play. If you do a search for "piano stairs Seoul" you will find YouTube videos of it in action. Apparently there's another one in the Express Bus station.
I spent some time walking down the main shopping street of Myeongdong. Lot of expensive brands and willing shoppers.
The Shinsegae department store, which is near the Namdaemun markets, anchors one end of the shopping district. I bought some persimmons in the basement supermarket there as they were in season, tasty and reasonably priced. I also bought some imported muesli to supplement my breakfast fibre.
The Pokémon GO fad had also reached Seoul.
