Patbingsu 팥빙수 Over Han River !!!! A must-have concoction^-^ in summer!!!

One of the must-have delicacies during summer in Korea is 팥빙수 (patbingsu). This is a blended ice with red bean (pat) combined with slices of tropical fruit. Indonesian would  call it es teler (minus Durian). 

What could be more tempting than having it on top of the Han River's Cloud Cafe? 

We ordered two of this huge patbingsu. A perfect combination of hot summer day with the bliss of this refreshingly yummy beverage(?), concoction (hahahahaha)? 

You name it. 

In fact, Eyra and Freya could not stop digging into it. 

Slurp....slurp....yummy.  

A stack of glasses tugged on the desk..awaiting to be used by the customers...overlooking the blue bridge over Han River against the bluish backdrop of Seoul. 

What's this? It's the spoon we used to 'dig' the patbingsu. 

Cool, eh? 

If a broad daylight view is this awesome, I wonder what would it be like at night.

It could be romantic, I assume?

Anyone interested of having it a try?

Seoul in Summer: Into the Cloud Cafe (part 3)

For those having private cars, they could just go and park the cars right next to the cafe which is situated right next to one of the Han River bridges. But..for us ..we got off the subway and had to walk across the bridge ....^^along with the passing cars and commuter lines next to us. 

The bright and yet stuffy Friday afternoon did not hamper us from not being able to reach the cafe: the seemingly black-glass laden building. 

As we crossed the bridge, we might as well enjoy the scenery. Right on. 

Freya..wait up!!! 

that's the cafe..and the Han river next to it. See the white jetty or berth or water taxi terminal over there? No we're not going there.;) 

Apartments sprung up on the horizon...a typical landscape of Seoul. 

The difference (this time) is that...I saw the usual landscape from another angle: The Cloud Cafe. 

+plus...Han River up front. Yes..it couldn't have been better than any of these. Well maybe it could have.... 

It's just that..this time we enjoyed the view through the glassed cafe on the 10-story-like building. 

The sun shone brightly and it's glaringly simmering (?) I mean....its reflection over the river and on the glass-panel of the cafe was more than enough to urge me wear my sunglasses.  

Some seats were reserved and others were (still) unoccupied: which was an advantage for me since I could sneak around and circle the round-shaped cafe in 360 degree view of the whole Han River. 

Again..the glaring sun light. 

But..that kind of perpetuated the beauty of Seoul in Summer.

Cloud Cafe: The View from Above (part 2)

The restaurant facing the Han River. Spent an-hour here..while enjoying the summer bliss: patpingsu. Okay..let me get it straight: the view is indelibly pretty. Well..Han River could be mistakenly regarded as any other river, but in fact it is different. 

This is the soul of life as most of the water that feed the life of Seoulites come from within this river. So..admiring the river from above like this was like..wow..how admiringly amazing this river is. No..I am not exaggerating it. 

If you happened to be in Seoul, just go here. See it for yourself. I wish the weather would be cooler so I could see a clearer view of the Namsan Seoul Tower far beyond. It's there but obscurely unnoticeable due to the bright afternoon sunlight. 

Yet..it did not mean that I could not enjoy another view: It's the ferry and the yacht docks that is just a perfect hang-out place if you have the 'money' to rent or better yet..own it.

I was on a yacht tour in Busan last year..so..seeing this yacht brought back the old good time memories. 

I particularly love this picture. The lanes where people go on biking and walking were the perfect ambiance and addition to the already contrasting scenery of Seoul: lush green bushes and the sprung up apartment.

(thought I got to admit that I used ' a special' mode of taking the picture. Still..this movie is worth-looking at if you want to know something about Seoul..in its glory.

Cloud Cafe Above Han River (part 1)

Cloud Cafe. Yes..I saw the sign every time I pass this bridge over Han River. Yet, I did not have any chance to go visit this cafe until I went there with my family. It was not a planned trip or anything. It was nothing more than just an afternoon hangout. 

Freya was on the lead. 

She was practically alone on the highway.^^ Isn't that cool? Yes, we walked from the subway station and made up our mind to go to one of the Han River landmarks: Cloud Cafe. 

In order to reach the cafe, we got to walk through the bridge that connects the river bank and the cafe itself. We were right at the side of high ways.!! 

The clear blue sky!! What a great day it was! was it hot? You bet. Summer is Seoul has always been hot and humid. But, it never dampens our spirit to enjoy exploring the city. With the kids who always ask me to go out...I could not resist it either.

Let's go!!

We could see the whole view of Seoul from above the bridge... 

See the 'black' structure at the back? That's the Cloud Cafe. The bridge, the jetty, the river, the sky, the clouds..the passing cars below...were all intertwined to make it more worthwhile to enjoy. 

Especially as soon as we reached inside the Cafe. The view was breathtaking. Well..who would not want to spend an afternoon in the summer heat here? It's air-conditioned. The huge glass almost 360 degrees...is what made it even more tempting. We sat facing the river and the view far beyond. 

The kids loved it..and me, too. It's our first time and what could be more tasty than checking out how the patpingsu (summer ice-specialty in Korea) tastes like in here. 

While waiting for the patpingsu ready to be served, I took some snaps of the view. The river and the bridge with its cars passing by were more than enough for me. It looked just splendid. I love the water and everything around it. 

See how green it was. Of course it must also be due to the camera I was using. But, at least..the lanes, the trees, the river, the river cruise, and the apartment beyond were enough to ease and soothe our eyes.... 

Yeaahhh...patpingsu's ready. Let's dig in...

Summer+Patpingsu = bliss.