South Korea with Iris

I often get asked what to see in Korea, where to go, what to eat, and so on. Many prefer non-touristy or unusual places. If you search for "top places to visit in Seoul" on Google or other search engines, you'll get royal palaces, shopping streets, museums, and so on. These are the most popular and touristy spots. But I want to share another spot. I want to tell you about a bookstore and give you 9 reasons why you should visit it :) When you mention a bookstore to people, many think, "That's boring, it's just a place to buy books." In reality, bookstores in Korea are more than just places with books. There are many bookstores. The most popular bookstore chain in Korea is Kyobo. They are in almost every district and they are usually quite large. But I want to tell you about another bookstore - Arc N Book. It's in the heart of modern Seoul, in Lotteworld Mall. The store is much smaller than Kyobo stores, but that doesn't make it any less ...

We're having a hot, rainy summer here in Korea, and due to the high humidity, it's very difficult to be outdoors where there is no any air conditioner. So today, I'd like to tell you a bit about summer in Korea. In this weather, Koreans eat hot, spicy food. It's believed that this helps endure the unbearable summer weather more easily. Perhaps they're onto something. After all, once you finish a hot soup, you'll sweat out all the water in your body and then you forget about the unbearable weather. Speaking of food, here's an interesting fact: Koreans can eat boiling soup without any problems! I don't know how they manage not to burn their mouths and everything else. But it's a fact. Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't have that skill. I tried to find some photos of boiling soup in my gallery but since I can't eat the soup when it is boiling I don't have such pics haha Source: Korean food And I wasn't kidding about ...

In Korea, there are numerous festivals throughout the year, but I particularly love flower festivals. Each season brings different blooms , and in Korea, entire fields of these flowers are cultivated, creating picturesque scenes perfect for Instagram photos. Primarily, these festivals are aimed at attracting tourists, but it's hard to convey the emotions and feelings one experiences when surrounded by seas of beautiful flowers. Walking along these fields, you can even catch a faint aroma of the blooms. During the summer, various flowers come into bloom, resulting in a succession of different flower festivals. Among all these festivals, I want to highlight my top 3 favourites. Lotus Festival Firstly, there are the lotus festivals . Their blooming season just started. Did you know lotus seeds can live for over 1000 years? They are probably the hardiest seeds. Additionally, the lotus is a symbol of Buddhism. Honestly, I didn't realize lotus stems could be so...

 I have had no voice for 3 days now, I take medicine, but it doesn’t help. And since I can’t talk, I decided to express my thoughts in a post. Better yet, I’ll share with you one of my latest travels. I have more than 500 photos on my phone from this trip. And this is another quest to choose the best photos. Last week in Korea there was the Baekje Festival, in honour of one of the very first states on the Korean Peninsula. So my friends and I went to the city where this state used to be located. The scale of the festival was terrific. The holiday atmosphere was felt in every corner of the city. And it seemed we were transported several centuries ago to that same state of Baekje. First, let me introduce you to this cute magical beast. In the old days, such an animal stood at the entrance to houses, as well as in the tombs of kings. People believed that it protected against evil spirits. That’s why we met this animal at the festival. He defended the festival. The festival took place ...

Let me take you on another trip around Seoul that is getting ready for Valentine's Day! I just came back home after a short walk. This year I promised myself to walk more, to add more activity to my life. And, I am trying one p2e app, that motivates me to walk even more. Today's outing into the street was necessary because I needed to go to the grocery store. However, I came back without anything. But, I realized that there is less than a week left till Valentine's Day! And the shopping mall area near my place is decorated with hearts. So, despite it is still cold outside these lovely hearts are warm people. At least, I think  feel so. Also, there are a lot of different chocolates and sale events in the supermarket too. Holidays are a great chance for retailers. Probably, I will go outside again later in the evening. But now, I gonna finish some work tasks. Have a wonderful day!

 Happy Wednesday! It is time for a Wednesday walk! :) It is the first Wednesday walk this month :) Have you ever heard about Korean instant noodles? One of the most popular brands is called nonshin and they are producing a so-called shinramyun. And they opened a pop-up store in Seoul to celebrate their new type of ramyun and collaboration with zepeto. I am not familiar with zepeto. I don't really know what it is. Nope. I didn't know what it is until I visited the pop-up store. Well, actually they call it a cafeteria, but I think it is a store :) It is located in Seoul, and it takes around 20mins by metro and 1 hour to walk from my place. I decided to walk there, and I started regretting it after 5 mins. Why? Because it was freezing cold outside, and I had to cross the river, and on the riverside it was terrible! But since I already started walking and I was too lazy to search for the nearest bus station or subway station, I kept walking :) Sorry, it was too cold and I didn'...

I love museums! Because they can tell you a lot of interesting historical facts. Also, museums can help people to understand the culture of that country better. And sometimes, nope almost always, you can learn something new, even if you already have been to that museum before. Hangeul means the Korean alphabet, so the museum is dedicated to the Korean alphabet. About National Hangeul Museum The National Hangeul Museum has opened its doors on October 9th 2014. It is an Hangeul Day in Korea. The museum is located in Seoul close to the National Museum of Korea. And there is a park zone around the museum. There are 5 floors in the museum and 3 of them are museum exhibition halls. You know almost every museum in Korea has a kids zone. It can be a special exhibition hall or a playing learning zone. And I think it is really cool! So kids don’t get bored, they can play and they can learn at the same time. Hall with Korean folk songs for children We started our excursion from the top floor,...

I believe I can touch the sky... that is what I exactly felt when I was on the 123rd floor of the Seoul Sky. I am the type of person who is afraid of heights but runs first to the top to enjoy the view. Weird? Yes, it is, but it is true. I remember when I was in Cambodia, I was exploring each temple, and of course, I was climbing to the top, but then crawling down with shaking hands and feet.  Today I want to show you Seoul from a height of around 500 meters. So, our destination is Seoul Sky which is located in Jamsil station in Seoul, South Korea. About Seoul Sky Before starting our journey, let me briefly tell you about the tower itself. Seoul Sky is an observatory which is located at the top of the Lotte World Tower. There are 123 stories in the tower, and it is the 5th tallest building in the world. Its' height is 555 meters.  It is the only place in Seoul where you can have a 360-degree view of Seoul city.  The observatory was opened in 2017. Floor guide The journey ...