On August 3 we headed to the World Cup Stadium to watch FC Seoul play Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
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| The home team is FC Seoul |
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| We weren't allowed to buy tickets in advance so we arrived at the stadium 3 hours before the start of the game |
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| There were a lot of people in line already |
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| Here's the view of the city |
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| It was a pretty nice stadium |
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| Paul was excited to be a part of the team |
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| You can bring your own food so naturally, the folks behind us brought a box of chicken |
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| These are the Suwon fans |
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| They had a lot of good songs |
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| The Suwon Bluewings |
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| Look at the FC Seoul fans making words in the stands! |
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| FC Seoul were the 2012 Champs |
FC Seoul has a mascot (see below) who was supposedly beamed down to Seoul World Cup Stadium by his intergalactic spaceship in 2004.
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| The mascot's name is SSID (Seoul & Sun in Dream). He and Mr. Met should meet. |
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| These are the FC Seoul fans - not sure why they have a picture of Che |
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| Some action |
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| More action shots...they prefer acrobatic aerial kicks over control of the ball (that was Paul's addition, obviously) |
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| The fans were captivated by the action |
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| I'm not sure why there is a blow up kangaroo doll but the Suwon fans were passing it around |
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| Seoul World Cup Stadium all lit up - the final score was 2-1 (FC Seoul won) |
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| Back on the subway |
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| Paul loves it |
On August 4, we did some more exploring around Seoul which included visiting the statues of Admiral Yi Sun-shin and King Sejong and also checking out Gyeongbokgung Palace.
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| In front of the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin |
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| Love these reflection shots from remnant puddles |
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| Admiral Yi Sun-shin was a naval commander in the 1500's |
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| He is famous for victories over Japan in the Imjin War during the Joseon Dynasty |
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| King Sejong |
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| Underneath the statue is a museum dedicated to telling the story of King Sejong |
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| It was a nice escape from the heat |
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| And we learned something! |
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| King Sejong created the Korean phonetic alphabet in the 1400's |
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| Dictionary of Proper Korean Pronunciations |
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| I think it makes sense |
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| At least this made sense to me |
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| Heading towards the Gyeongbokgung Palace |
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| Looking back towards the two statues |
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| I thought these guys were statues but the are real people in costumes! |
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| We got to witness the changing of the guards right outside Gwanghwamun Gate |
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| Interesting juxtaposition (for you Sascha!) |
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| Heungnyemun Gate |
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| Statue in front of the Heungnyemun Gate |
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| Love the doors |
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| Walking towards Geunjeongmun Gate; no, it's not hot at all and Paul is not sweating |
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| In front of Geunjeongjeon Hall |
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| Throne inside Geunjeongjeong Hall |
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| Chicken |
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| Sheep |
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| And I don't know what this is but I thought it'd be a cool picture |
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| Side view of Geunjeongjeon Hall |
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| I really like this tree and Paul's pose in front of Sujeongjeon Hall |
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| Gyeonghohru Pavillion |
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| Paul trying to hide from me |
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| More doors |
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| Empty corridor |
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| In the process of being restored |
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| Here's a restored version of Jaseondang Hall |
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| Love this shot with the mountain in the background looking towards Sajeongjeon Hall |
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| Hemispheric Sundial (Angbuilgu) invented in 1434 |
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| Another door |
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| Paul is reading up about the Amisan |
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| Another pretty door |
We also couldn't pass up visiting Gangnam.
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| We did not find Psy here |
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| Paul refused to pose on this stage |
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| Walking around Gangnam |
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| Looking for a place to eat |
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| After watching Paul's new favorite sci-fi movie, Snowpiercer, we headed back to our hotel |
The next day, we headed to the airport for country #15, China!
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| It's always fun to wear our packs for at least an hour |
We took the airport express train which was a lot cheaper than a taxi (8,000 Korean Won/about $7 per person) and it was pretty quick. We heard a taxi cost about 60,000 Korean Won/about $53!
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| Paul gave his seal of approval upon arriving at the airport |
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| We couldn't wait to explore the world's best airport! |
