남산 (다시!) | Namsan (again!)

No, I'm not! Rude.

So, Mike came back from Hong Kong, and Nick's brother Jon also joined us for a few days. Having guests is really hectic but great because it means we usually actually put some effort into doing something interesting ;p

We discussed for a while the sort of thing we'd like to do as a nice, gentle introduction to Korea, considering Jon had just come off a long-haul flight mere hours beforehand.

A photo posted by Jon Desmond (@jeanpauldemon) on Jan 30, 2015 at 11:21pm PST

As a joke, I suggested we climb Namsan and get a good look at the entirety of Seoul but guess what we ended up doing?

Yup.

We took the cable car up, as it's cold and easier to walk down than it is to climb up.
I've never taken the cable car before, but it was really quick and easy to use, and really fun!

Same as last time, we managed to arrive just as there was a performance setting up. The performers put on a display of fighting techniques using old Korean weapons, cutting up bamboo and set practice drills, all to dramatic music. Afterwards, you can get a photo with them.

The weather was freezing cold, but apart from that it was really lovely and clear with some sun making everything look a lot nicer than it felt.
The views were great and, in my opinion, a really great way of feeling like you're definitely not in the UK any more. At least, around where I've lived, it's nothing like the skylines you can see in South Korea.

A photo posted by Jon Desmond (@jeanpauldemon) on Jan 30, 2015 at 11:21pm PST

The ongoing saga of me and my battle for nice eyebrows reached a difficult peak when the wind decided to be particularly bitey and it was a struggle to not rub at my face to warm up and wipe away the imminent tears.

Mysterious cat family.

Nick and I also went off to find the little lock we'd left behind during our first trip to Namsan back in the summer and were quite happy to see it was just where we'd left it, albeit a bit rusty.

We had lunch in one of the restaurants underneath the tower and managed to finish just in time to see the sun begin to set amidst the haze, which was really lovely.

Finally, we decided to head home. We walked down the other side of the mountain to get a nice round-view, and detoured through a really interesting park we found. Somehow we ended up walking all the way to Seoul Station and had to defrost on the train all the way back.

Our drawing was also still there, but painted over. Sob.

The last photo I took before my phone battery died.