musesandviews

[musesandviews]

Day 14 & 15: massage, packing, and traveling back home!

Combining the last two days because we didn’t do too much on either! A bit sad but also ready to go home. Friday we did laundry, packed, got massages and did last minute shopping. Then Saturday was commuting to airport and flying for 13.5 hrs or so! We made it back safely, and I am so happy to see my cats! It’s always bittersweet coming back from a trip. I miss my home, cats and friends but I also LOVE to travel and experience the food and sights.

For those that stuck with me during this trip’s updates, thank you!! 🙏

[musesandviews]

Day 13: winding down (sorry I’m late, my tumblr app was being weird and I didn’t deal with it till the morning lol)

Today we slept in unintentionally since we were so physically tired from walking so much at Lotte World yesterday! We did a coffee run in the morning and went to do some shopping at the Hyundai Department Store and the UPlex (also a shopping place). The UPlex had really trendy stuff that leaned less luxury which was nice. It’s always fun to see what the fashion currently is like! Afterwards we got some more coffee and beer to prep for an early round of kbbq. We did some more shopping after that, a quick BB gun play, then ended with karaoke!

[musesandviews]

Day 12: Lotte World and Dept store!

Today we got coffee then headed out to Lotte World! Lotte World is an indoor and outdoor amusement park, plus they have a separate aquarium. When we got there we first ate some Lotteria (fast food burgers!) to stay on brand. The amusement park itself seems a bit more catered to younger children or teenagers but it was still cute and fun to people watch and experience! So we did that for a free hours, the aquarium, then shopped and ran around for a couple more hours. For dinner we had soondubu (tofu soup). We then ended the day with a brewery in Seongsu!

[musesandviews]

Day 11: Coex and Michelin Star restaurant

Today was a jam packed day, and I’ve tried to post this more than once so here’s the short and sweet version:

- transit to Coex and get coffee!

- ate katsu

- aquarium time! Animal crossing collab was going on, I’m going to this in AtL later this month!

- library and shopping!

- k star road (kpop bear figurines)

- Michelin star restaurant

[musesandviews]

Day 10: some more running around!

Took another easy day, we’re not as young as we used to be lol 😂 the boys were up late watching watching the football game so my sister and I took a morning to ourselves to see a webtoon character’s birthday ad and grab some coffee/tea! We then bought some Genshin Impact collaboration instant coffee and some League of Legends merchandise for my sister’s friend. Tteokbeokki as a snack per usual and more coffee/tea! Today we did some more window shopping in the area, we looked at some vintage shops, anime stores, and gachapon stores. Then we did some more eating, sushi, soufflé pancakes and KBBQ!! I am so full, everything was amazing today! And my feet thank me for giving them somewhat of a break :P tomorrow is a big day for plans!

[musesandviews]

Day 9: once again, relaxing

Had to take it easy again after the birthday shenanigans yesterday! Stayed in a little longer in the morning, then went out for coffee and lunch. We went about a 25 min walk away for some more jjajangmyeon. We took a little AC break part of the way through at a neat coffee shop. The restaurant we went to for the noodles was so good once again! This dish is just so comforting and classic. We then just wandered around the area, took some more pictures and hung out at a bar. For dinner we had octopus at the bar and then some American food lol. 😂 ended the day relaxing at the Airbnb with some Netflix :)

[musesandviews]

Day 8: BIRTHDAY DAY!!!

Today was my twinner and I’s birthday! We started our day off with the viral head spa, which was such a nice spa experience. We then went to a themed collab cafe for some webtoons we love! We explored Seongsu right after which is a popular hip shopping area. Lots of fashion and beauty brands. This is also where we are an early dinner at this delicious kbbq restaurant. They had pork options only and the pork was *chefs kiss*. Once we were done there we took a break at the Airbnb and went out for some KARAOKE. 🎤 we sang our hearts out for two hours, but we did take a short drink and snack break after the first hour. We ended the day with a Photo Booth session of course!! It was the perfect birthday day, we had a blast!!

[musesandviews]

Day 7: Themed Cafe, Han River, EATING & DRINKING

Another chill day since everyone needed it, the SO watched football as I made a Daiso and coffee run in the morning! We then ate some udon for lunch and checked out the Solo Leveling mobile game cafe that was going on because why not?! I love these themed cafes so much, we don’t have these too often in the US though they’re getting more popular! Afterwards we went to a part of the Han River to hang out and recharge. We commuted back to then try a brewery and do some laundry. We drank at a kitschy bar and then ate at a chimek (chicken and beer) restaurant while that ran. Seoul is SO alive on the weekend, the vibes are immaculate! I love that everyone is so active and having fun. Always something to do!

[musesandviews]

Day 6: themed cafes and relaxation

Tis me again, we were soooo exhausted from yesterday that today we didn’t do much but check out some themed cafes. We also ate some good food. My sister checked out a really cool art store she was recommended by a friend in Hongdae. We ended the day with some laundry lol So here’s a short but sweet update for now!

[musesandviews]

Day 5: Palaces and Bukchon Hanok Village

Today, we ventured to the Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, and Changgyeonggung Palaces. The day started off HOT and stayed burning up! We did so much walking between the palaces and hanok village. It was mostly just sightseeing today with eating and drinking in between. We passed by a chill cafe for lunch, a tea house, and a delicious matcha place. When we were done, we hung around the area for dinner! We had chicken ginseng soup for the first time, it was pleasant and subtle! I really enjoyed it. The area around the palace is so fun! 🤩 I’m so heat exhausted and tired. Will be sleeping well tonight!

[musesandviews]

Day 4: another cat cafe and Dongdaemun!

Today was another relatively easy going day, started with the going to get coffee and some baked goods from two different places (forgot a pic of the baked goods, ate it straight away). Delicious per usual! We then went to get some brunch in Hongdae, which was also good. It was an interesting American food-ish type place. We hit up another cat cafe (because you can never see too many cats), and this one was SO NICE!! They take really good care of their cats and the place was so clean. After killing time there, we went to the Dongdaemun area and hit up the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Unknowingly to us, they had started a fashion week event so there was a ton of photographers and models basically. We checked out the gallery they had there and walked around the building a bit. It’s a very unique structure! We went by the part of the Cheonggyecheon stream near there as well. We then headed back to near home to eat some DELICIOUS Naengmyun after all the hot weather and walking which was refreshing. Lastly the sister and I took some more photobooth pics! Another good day in the books :)

[musesandviews]

Day 3: Myeongdong, LoL Park, and a little bit of Cheonggyecheon Stream!

Slowly starting to ramp up our trip here, we ventured out to the general area around Myeongdong! We first hit a coffee shop (per usual) that was fantastic, it was located within what seemed to be a business district! We ate our first lunch of Gimbap (classic), which was so good! We took a little hydration break at the Cheonggyecheon stream which is one of my favorite spots to chill in Seoul. So neat that there is this long land made river in the middle of so much city. Next we explored the LoL park since Logan is a League of Legends fan. What a neat little place!! After that, we killed a bunch of time in the Myeongdong shopping street. Passed by Daiso to pick up some necessities, took some pics at the photo booth, and looked around a couple of local stores. Chilled out at a cat cafe then headed home to eat sushimi for dinner! It was such a nice, chill day especially since it was overcast!

[musesandviews]

Day 2: more Hongdae!!

We’re still taking it easy, especially since my sister and her husband just got in yesterday evening! There’s just so much to do in this area. We started the day with coffee and bakery items of course! We then hit up Olive Young and AK Plaza again for shopping. AK Plaza has an Animate store and other collab cafe/pop up shops as well. We went down to the main Hongdae street to look at clothing shops and grab some lunch. We had some AMAZING jjajungmyeon and some tangsuyuk. 10/10!! Best comfort food. And for this incredibly hot day, we got bingsu of course. My sister and I then got our nails done while the husbands went to a local brewery. Throughout the day we also grabbed some various drinks! For dinner, we got a huge Korean pizza, three flavors: corn cheese, Hawaiian, and spicy bulgogi. I highly recommend a high intensity shopping and eating day when you’re traveling for sure 💯

[musesandviews]

Day 1: exploring a little bit of Hongdae and sister arrival!!

Our Airbnb is near the Hongdae area which is so vibrant and full of life! We tried a cute coffee place for breakfast and had a French toast ham and cheese clan which and a ham egg and cheese sandwich. Very good! We then strolled to an Olive Young, where it course I bought some skincare! We then went to the AK Pkaza to shop where I got some cute items from Butter and Animate, then accidentally took a two hour nap which point me right on time to meet Jess and Logan at the station!! So glad to have them here now. I finally got a transit card as well which has an adorable Line Friends design. We ended the night with chicken and beer, and we plan to explore the more main Hongdae area tomorrow.

[musesandviews]

Day 0: Travel Day and Settling In!

Today started my two week long trip to South Korea! We did a nonstop flight, and man that 15 hours was SO TOUGH. I do kind of miss the sanity layover lol however it is nice we lose no time or have to worry about transferring!

Honestly not much to show for today, but we made it alive and well (and so very tired). Tomorrow will be a little more fun but still light!

[musesandviews]

Tokyo - Day 7

Another somewhat easy going day, we stopped by Tsukiji Market in the morning to check out the stalls. It was soooo busy even on a Thursday mid morning. Lots of different seafood and food for sale, I honestly didn’t buy anything though! We did stop by a fancy coffee shop on the way here though :)

Afterwards, we went shopping in Harajuku! We ate dinner at a local Thai restaurant, which was actually so good! We then went to different Japanese brands I’d been following for while. It was cool to see the shops in real life that I’d been following for years on social media.

We ended the day by visiting the micro pig cafe!! They were SO cute! They had wiry hair and made squeaky noises constantly. So adorable.

[musesandviews]

Tokyo - Day 6

Not too much going on this day to be honest! We took it easy for once. We went to the Pokémon Center and got some cute Pokémon goods! I got the fluffiest Vaporeon plush 🥰

We got some delicious katsu for lunch, and we shopped around this mall for a bit.

At the end of the day, we ate at a Michelin starred sushi restaurant! It was incredible from start to finish, the chef made every single piece in front of us. Definitely have to do at least once! Afterwards, we went to a brewery to end the night.