Staircases

I braved the heat today and climbed Namsan.

Remember? The mountain with the tower? I went there once before, at night with Kris and her family. But I wanted to climb it when it was still light out, and take the walking path instead of the bus.

But first I came across a cute little hanok village:

Apparently the buildings had been moved from various places onto the slopes of Namsan to create a historical village. But it was too hot out in the open, so I went to find a path into the trees.

This is a walking bridge over a highway. The plants are a nice touch; I couldn't even tell I was walking over a bunch of cars.

This tunnel is trippy...

I finally found my path, and OH MAN that's a lot of stairs. This picture shows only the very beginning of the stairs. The rest of the stairs are farther along, and rest assured they are numerous.

Okay, I'm being a bit of a wimp. But it was hot!

When I reached the top I had lunch/dinner in an Italian restaurant in the sky. I think their high prices were mostly due to the amazing view and the fact that they were the only restaurant on the mountain other than the one at the top of the tower. Convinced now that Koreans can't cook pasta, I ordered a pizza. Delicious.

Hung out at the top for a while before making my way down. I got a little lost until I checked my map, checked my compass (I love my iPhone), and suddenly found myself at an intersection I recognized. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. Whenever I get lost I run into a place I've been before. Very handy. 

Puppies! Puppies in a window! Oh God they're so tiny how can they even exist?

By this time it was pretty dark, which was good. It was cooler, and also I had heard that Banpo bridge does a light show after dark.

Well, I caught the very tail end the the show, but with the neon boats and the water jets it was pretty cool.

I'm off to Daemyung with Kris's family! Apparently there is a water park there. We're leaving soon so I've got to pack and shower!