Earlier in my trip, I had done some searching for things I wanted to buy in Korea. Yes, skincare and makeup were on the list, but so was pottery. You might know that I spent a couple of years taking pottery classes (or you don't) and I got half decent at throwing on the wheel. Not teapot-making decent, but mug and bowl decent. Anyway, I still love and collect pottery, so wanted to find some here. I found a couple of places that were kind of close to each other and today was the day I was going to find them. The first, Eden Pottery, was very easy to find and was right in the big tourist district. I decended the small flight of stairs to find myself in a place with wall-to-wall pottery. I was in Heaven!
So....much pottery. Everything from large pieces to tiny keepsakes. A lot of it traditional pieces, but there was some that was a little more modern as well.
These two vases were gorgeous. Unfortunately, I needed to find something that would fit in my suitcase and not weigh a ton.
Everything was so beautiful and there were a lot of different forms, glazes, and firing methods used. I later found out that this was kind of a cooperative store where several different potters sold their work. It mades a lot of sense due to the different styles and sheer volume of work here.
Here were some of the bigger pieces. I got a small vase, a mug (yes, I know...I broke my "no more mugs" rule), a necklace with a ceramic pendant, an ornament for my tree, and three little teacups. I originally had two lovely wood fired cups, but dropped one on the tile floor and shattered it. I still wanted the other one, but wanted a pair. I had found the last two with that glaze, so I chose a pair with celadon and red glaze with cranes on them. While chatting with the lady at the register, I told her about my travlels and how I went somewhere every year for my birthday. Upon learning that I just had a birthday, she had me choose a little clay pig and turtle from a large basket of them as a birthday gift. How lovely!
She packed up my purchases in tons of tissue and bubble wrap. I headed out and decided to check out the food street that I saw on the map on the street behind the pottery shop. It was pretty easy to find.
Itaewon World Food Street ran several blocks and was mostly bars.
At this time of the day (lunchtime) it's still shut down and pretty deserted. World Food Street also seems to mean "Western style bars."
This is where all the empty soju bottles go.
At the end of the street there ws this cool staircase.
I then headed back to the subway, where I needed to go one stop to the next destination. I got off at Noksapyeong station, which was really cool. It was one of the larger stations in Seoul.
And contained some public art of colored glass bricks.
This one is really cool I think.
It is a pretty deep station and has three sets of escalators you need to take to get to ground level. You have to kind of go in a circle under this dome shaped skylight.
You emerge to see this tree lined lane that, apparently, runs adjacent to a US Military base (I assume that from the signs on the wall forbiding tresspassign on US property)
I arrived to Hansin Pottery to find that it was closed. Bummer. They had some cool things I could see through the window.
There were also huge earthenware jars lined up on the wall outside.
I am pretty sure these are hangari, the earthenware pots used in the production of soju.
I decided to walk around a bit as I had finally stumbled upon the type of neighborhood seen in K-dramas where the "not rich" heroine usually lives.
These are just normal houses where everyday people live, and not the high-rises I see in downtown Seoul.
I finally felt like I was in a K-drama...LOL!
The next plan was to visit flea markets. The first one was Dongmyo Flea Market. It's been going on in the Dongmyo area since Joseon times.
It was kind of late in the day by the time I got there, but it was still bustling. There was everything from secondhand kitchenware, used clothing, antiques, "vintage" clothing, and a couple of food stalls.
It was a bit crazy and I had to do my best to keep from being run over by the motorcycles constantly navigating the area. This was not a pedestrian zone, although it seems most cars stay away (there were a couple).
I turned a corner and saw a traditional looking gate. Curious, I decided to investigate.
I found Seoul Donggwanwangmyo Shrine, the ancestral shrine of Chinese Commander Guan Yu. In 1592 the Japanese invaded Joseon (now known as Korea) which was known as the Imjin War. The Chinese helped in Joseon's defense. This was built at the request of the Ming Dynasty in 1601.
It's a little oasis of calm in the middle of the insanity that is the market.
The architecture is a bit of a mix of Korean with Chinese influence.
Here is Commander Guan Yu in his golden glory.
This is the very cool ceiling in the shrine with it's Yin-Yang crane decoration.
The ceiling of the entryway with it's familar green and colorful color scheme...with Chinese writing.
No idea what this little shrine off to the side was for, but it's very pretty
I found a couple of drums in a side building. This is the more colorful one.
Looking back at the inner gate as I leave...
I decided to try to visit the Seoul Folk Flea Market. This is an all indoor flea market with a food court. It was getting late, but I thought I'd give it a try.
It was a bust. Although I could still enter the building, most of the stalls were closed for the day (mind you, the market is supposedly open for another hour). I looked around a bit, then headed out.
My legs were starting to ache at this point and my knee was getting a little mad at me. I could feel that it was swelling up but, luckily, really wasn't painful yet. Still, a sign that I was done.
The map on my phone led me through this lovely little park. It was very chill.
That's pretty much it...back on the crowded subway (still busy from people heading home from work), and back to my room. One more full day left....
