A Return to Seoul: A Lunar New Year Experience
My last visit to Seoul was over two decades ago, and frankly, it barely counts. It was a whirlwind trip for a conference—a true “airport to airport” experience. Due to some emergency travel logistics, I arrived in the morning, attended the day-long conference, and was back on a plane that evening. I saw little more than the inside of a convention center and a blur of highway. So, in all practical respects, this trip, timed serendipitously with the Lunar New Year, felt like my true first time visiting the heart of South Korea.
And what a greeting we received! Stepping off the plane, the temperature hit us immediately: a brisk -5°C. In fact, the entire duration of our visit happily hovered below the freezing mark. But as a family from Oregon, we found this chilly embrace entirely comfortable—it felt like home. In a delightful instance of polysemy, we found the weather truly “cool,” both literally in temperature and figuratively in its invigorating atmosphere. The sharp winter air even brought back fond memories of the intensely cold winters I experienced years ago in New York City.
Palace Grandeur: Gyeongbokgung in Winter
Our first major excursion was to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty. Even against the stark backdrop of a Seoul winter, the palace was absolutely breathtaking. The grounds are enormous and impeccably maintained, serving as a powerful testament to Korean culture and history. We spent hours wandering through the vast courtyards and exquisitely detailed pavilions. The experience was truly picturesque; the traditional dancheong (colorful paintwork) popped against the deep blue sky, and several of the ornamental lakes were half-frozen, adding a serene, glassy texture to the landscape. Seeing families dressed in hanbok against this historic backdrop deeply embedded the cultural significance of the place in our minds.
Local Flavors: The Taste Test
A core part of our travel mission is always to eat where the locals eat. We deliberately sought out smaller, less touristy food stalls, eager to test whether the authentic Korean flavors would differ significantly from the Korean food we enjoy back in America. We dove into bowls of kimchi jjigae and sampled local street food, surrounded mostly by Korean speakers. To our surprise, the local taste profiles were remarkably similar to those we knew from the US—a testament, perhaps, to the excellent quality and authenticity of Korean cuisine that has successfully traveled across the globe. It was comforting and delicious to experience familiar flavors in their homeland setting.
A Literary Detour
For my family, no trip is complete without a visit to a local bookstore. We weren’t disappointed. The local stores we visited—often multi-level and beautifully designed—showcased, as expected, a very large and varied section of Korean language books. However, they also featured robust selections of popular English titles, alongside well-curated sections of French and German literature. It was a wonderful reflection of Seoul’s global, yet deeply rooted, cultural identity.
This Seoul winter trip, initially planned with few expectations, was better than we could have hoped. The quiet energy of Seollal, the historical immersion, the comforting cold, and the satisfying food made for a perfect family experience. We will certainly be considering a return visit during the winter season.
