Lost in Bukcheon Hanok Village

Finally got out of the zigzagging alleys...but...ended up...bumping into another road leading to nowhere...but...the good thing was that..I could be in places I never knew where I was supposed to be. Just like this one...

I was walking out of the Changdeokgung-gil...only to be trapped in the alley after alley...

But..no worries..since it's still within the vicinity of tourist-area...judging from the Lee Min-ho's pictures and other idols' being sold...^^

Yup, this is unmistakably ..still a tourist area..and I couldn't be lost at all...

...going up ..and up....

..while at the same time...peeking into unique houses...

..and...finally arrived at the familiar souvenir shop at the entrance to the hanok village.

Getting Out of Bukchon Village (part 3)

more stairs and...wait...is that a guitar? 

School bags on their backs, they're still in high spirit of exploring the area... 

Bumped into a souvenir vendor... 

intrigued by the colored-wooden-animals on display. 

a close-up look into the wooden animal toys. 

let's go on, kiddos. Oh, I know what you're looking at. The Crayon Pop? 

Some trees dared themselves to defy the chilling winter's threat.:-) 

with the ubiquitous walls across the street, we knew that we're not far off from the subway station--that we'd been looking for.

Getting Out of Bukchon Village (part 2)

Continuing our stroll along the famed-street near Bukchon teeming up with boutiques and cafes... 

Even some walls are not left in plain sight...some carved-stones seemed to stick out of nowhere (of, course not:)....but, hey...they're camera-worthy. 

then..I bumped into this seemingly familiar brand of antiquities that I usually find at the malls. But, this one's situated right next to this narrow-street...

....?? 

Big question as well as a confirmation that this are must've been a very 'this-is-it' venue for the Haves to spend their money on...:) 

Displays visible for any passers by to enjoy... 

including us. Well, the kids were enthusiastic to see the expensive display of antiquities. Hello Kitty and any other Disney characters are immortalized in gems and rare stones.

okay...enough, kiddos!!^-^

let's continue walking....

oh, did I mention that it's late autumn? 

barren-trees stood sturdily ....

and then...encountering what-was-that-again-house....that was visible across the street.

Getting Out of the Bukchon Village (part 1)

Yep, now we're already off-the radar from the famous old-laden village (Bukchon)..and stepped again into the 'real' Seoul as many know of. 

Boutiques and restaurants....classy or in-style... 

are familiar facades of what Seoul streets may look like (commonly).

and this is what we encountered as we stepped out of the Bukchon village (above this very street!) 

cars lined up..wait...it's not lining up..in fact this particular alley is blocked since it is one of the ways leading to the Blue House (presidential palace) 

now..we're continuing our journey finding the subway station.

across the street we started to notice that

'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas':) 

mm....nice neighborhood, I thought to myself. 

with lots of cafes and restaurants even on a narrow-stair alley like this one. 

(* I wonder what my kids were thinking when I dragged them out to this area...they're not even home from school yet)^^ 

another enticing-stair that tries to lure its customers...

Bukchon Hanok Village (part 5)

Another mesmerizing view of Seoul from atop the village.

mesmerizing? oh, well....

... 

I would say it is...since it's my first time seeing the silhouette of the 'temple-like' building over there... 

okay..back to what I love most about being in this village is that I never know what I would encounter on every twist and turn of the alleys.. 

a simply old vintage door like this... 

or ...wait..these are my kids and their friends playing around the alley at the village. 

or simply decorated wooden stairs with an inviting door that may open up to something new when we go inside. (though..I didn't). 

now, we reached the stone-stairs that would take us to the real world of what Seoul looks like today. 

hmm...not this one.

not this one, either.....

read it in Bukchon Hanok Village (part 6): another different world.

Bukchon Hanok Village (part 4)

A traditional chimney stood up sturdily....

oops...never thought that cars could roam into the alley,too. oh, well..

what's this stone-pot doing right in front of the house? 

there must be some explanation for it...

the red(?) or ..wait orange(?)-bricks look new, though.

Mbak Ulfa asked me to take a pic of her in front one of the houses...

God knows whose...:-)

An overview of Seoul from atop the Bukchon Hanok Village.

Right at the back of the village....mountains over mountains...

and..what the roofs would look like from atop. pretty crowded, eh??

arrived at another alley...(again and again...with a car parked right on it).

Now..that's what I call 'romantic' view. Who wouldn't want to be in it?

Yup, we're climbing up the hills to find the stone-stairs that would lead us back to the subway station.

with Seoul...at the background.