Jeonju Trip (part 4): At A Glance or ..well, Glimpse(S)

We're ready to 'tour' the village and the 2nd destination that we visited is Gyeonggijeon (경기전):dubbed as the palace where royal portraits of the Lee Seong-gye (the founder of Joseon Dynasty) were stored. (stories about this on other entries). 

This was the 1st spot we visited. We got a chance to see the interior of Jeondong Catholic Church.  

It's dubbed as being the number one place of Korean Catholic martyrdom.  

Back to the 2nd spot we went to: Gyeonggijeon. We're told that the red gate (as seen on the picture) was marked red ..with a trident-like shape on top of it...which functions to ward off evils from entering the shrine.  

Okay, the place was just like any other Korean-style palaces in Korea, but what gave this place a unique feature was the Cathedral visible on its background. 

Quite a different view, right?

So, why not take a picture with THAT as a background? 

As my friends went off further to other parts of the palace, I was still glued to keep on taking pictures...unaware that my friends were waiting for me.

Guess...this place might look quite different in Spring time.

Should I come again?

A Poised Posh...:-( ^^

After waiting for one hour, finally I met my kids whom I asked to join me at the mall. I asked them to come to IFC Mall since I thought it would be good to spend time while waiting for dinner and an event that we got to attend to at a nearby venue.

Okay...since it's Christmas eve, shopping mall were packed with people. 

Yes...like in any other places, Natal/Xmas seems to be merrier at the mall.  Having been living for two years in Korea....where Christmas has become some sort of more of a cultural thing or wait...'marketable' occasion, we sort of getting used to getting exposed to it. so, kids..just get on the Santa's cart. 

and...let me take a picture of you.......well, okay...seems that you're distracted by something else... 

and...still...you're not looking at me...

anyway...of course, it's a poised posh. (whatever that means).

Bumped into a Troupe @ IFC Mall

Just got back from the office what could be more entertaining than having myself a little extra time to enjoy 'tis Holiday seasons? So, while waiting for the kids to come, I took my time to look around and ended up encountering the 'commotion'. 

The so-called clown and other characters clad in this season's atmosphere were strolling and trotting around each level of the mall. For what? 

well, none other than to greet the customers and anyone (including me, for sure) who preferred to stay in door in this warm and comfy mall....^^ 

Okay, with the carol songs as the muzak, the atmosphere could not have been more gleeful. 

As the commotion passed me by, I took one last shot of the troupe....circling around the mall again and again.

Holding A Baby Again After Like..4 Years.....:)

 

No, she's not my daughter. It so happened that we visited our beloved friend, mbak Icha, who happened to live in Seoul. This is her daughter--named Annisa.  

Annisa is now an orphan since her beloved Daddy has passed away not long ago. Annisa was born to a Polish Daddy and an Indonesian mother--mbak Icha. 

"Freya, look...do you wanna have a little brother or sister?"

Just look at her: how peacefully she's sleeping. 

I was happy to be holding Annisa on my arms and laps even for just a few minutes. 

'Annisa, remember this picture as a warmth that we send you for years to come'

"You'll be a strong beautiful girl for everyone surrounds you"

from Pakde Suray.

@ Lotte World: Freya & Her Kindie-Friends (part 3)

yes daddy..look..I'm a tortoise!!--> Yes, I see you, Frey. 

Let's explore other stuff! 

okay, now that's what they call 'home'..as for me, it means only one thing: I got to wait for another 30-minute or so...for them to play. 

they're having a blast early in the morning...and that's a good thing. 

not long before I asked or lured them out, they found another 'hut' to play with. 

And they're making a home-make over party. 

all in all, it was a great START of what would be a tiring-yet-fun day. 

Fantasy Forest or 환상의 숲. yeach..right...at least in the eyes of the kids.:)

where fantasy and reality mingled.

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...