Fountains

Now that I have found my tiny shorts and sports bra buried deep in my drawer, I can face the heat without dying. I also found my flip-flops, and quickly noticed that I have been wearing my sneakers for far too long; I have a pretty impressive ankle-tan-line.

I decided to start things off at City Hall, since I hadn't been there since the first World Cup game. I couldn't get pictures that night due to rain and limited pocket space, but here's what it looked like:

Not so impressive in the daylight, and minus the throngs of red-clad, screaming fans.

Oh hey, if you want to get an idea of the energy at that game, check out this video. I missed the live performance, but they showed this video on the big screens at the later games. It's Kim Yuna! And cute J-rockers! And a ridiculously catchy song (seriously, they're playing it EVERYWHERE over here)!

Anyway, back to the present. I was checking out the plaza when I noticed something that I had missed during my first visit here:

Water fountain!!! I kicked off my shoes and wetted my feet. I frickin' love water fountains! I miss being a kid, and wearing my swimsuit under my clothes when I went downtown in the summer just so I could run through Skidmore fountain.

Farther down the street was a median with cool statues on it. No idea who they are, but hey.

Oh yeah, and... more fountains!

 This time I couldn't help myself. I dropped my purse and ran through the water. I tried to time it so I would just get a good faceful of mist, but I ended up getting my whole front soaked. That was fine by me - I stayed damp for most of the rest of the day and it helped take the edge off the heat. By the way, that woman in the second picture who is gingerly approaching the fountain to get her hands wet looked pretty surprised when I suddenly charged past her and straight into a jet of water.

I backtracked a little and found the source of a little man-made stream. It looked familiar - could it be the same one that runs through Dongdaemun? I decided to follow it and find out. But first a couple of boys asked me to take their picture by the stream. They posed, I raised the camera... and suddenly a stampede of old ladies with parasols engulfed them! We had a good laugh as we waited for them to pass. I took their picture, then they offered to take one of me.

I followed that stream for a good long way, and for a while I thought I was lost, but my instincts turned out to be right! I found Dongdaemun!

Now, as I walked down the familiar alleys toward the subway station, I passed a little outdoor stage. It's always there, and always blasting music from its speakers. Most of the time it's American music, so I stop to listen if I know the song. This time, I could barely believe my ears. I heard the sweet, innocent voice of Lily Allen singing a familiar verse! I waited, knowing that this was my one chance to hear that chorus sung in a family-friendly public place.

Sure enough:
Fuck you! Fuck you very, very mu-ch. 
'Cause we hate what you do, 
And we hate your whole crew,
So please don't stay in touch...

YAY! Let this be a lesson - just because a song sounds cute doesn't mean it's not cheerfully broadcasting profanities.