대학로

The place I was standing at is Daehangno or University Road.

As a beginner, I used to romanise 대학로 (大學路-The University Road) as Daehakro. However, if I am to say "Daehakro", no Korean will understand me because the actual pronunciation is "Daehangno". This is just one of those difficulties of learning Korean. What you see and write in Hangeul is not necessary what you will say or hear. 대학로, when spoken, becomes [대항노] and its correct romanised form is Daehangno. This change follows the formula that when a preceding "ㄱ" meets with a following "ㄹ", "ㄱ" will change to "ㅇ" and "ㄹ" to "ㄴ". To give another example, 목련 (木蓮-Magnolia) is pronounced as [몽년] and romanised as "Mong-nyeong" instead of "Mok-ryeong". The reason for such change is about being natural. Daehangno and Mong-nyeong are naturally easier to pronounce than Daehakro or Mok-ryeong.

Pronunciation aside, Daehangno is so-called because there are a number of Korean universities located within its vicinity. Cafes, restaurants, shopping and entertainment outlets flourish and prosper wherever there are universities. Daehangno is similar to those happening streets at Ewha, Yonsei and Hongdae though with a distinct difference. It is a place where entertainment meets arts and culture.

The Seoul National University College of Medicine in Daehangno.

I could instantly feel that artistic atmosphere of Daehangno as I was exiting Hyehwa Station (혜화역-惠化驛). What greeted me was rows of theatrical performance posters. The uniqueness of Daehangno comes from the concentration of many art centres, exhibition halls and performing theatres within its vicinity. It was said that just small theatres (소극장-小劇場) alone, there are about 300 of them.

Colourful posters greeted me as I exited from Hyehwa Station.

About 300 small theatres like these can be found in Daehangno.

To know that there are so many stage for artistic expression in Daehangno, I couldn't help thinking how much we are deprived in Singapore. If only if there were many of such small theatres in Singapore, our society may well be very much different. We could be on our way to becoming a nation with more expressive, interesting and gracious people.

A walk in Daehangno was an inspiring experience. Besides the many posters of seemingly interesting performances that were pasted everywhere, many interesting sculptures could be seen along the roads. Some were functional, others were interactive and many were just nice to look at. The buildings in the immediate surrounding also inherited the artistic chic of the area and they looked nothing like Korean. As I walked along, I could feel that dormant creativity in me being constantly stimulated and on the verge of taking over my senses. Lack of any better words to describe, perhaps I may just say that I have kinda found my soul in Seoul.

One thing that is worth special mention is that I finally found the Daehangno branch of the Il Mare Cafe and Pasta. The name of the restuarant might give the impression that it is like any other Italian restaurants out there. But it isn't. It looked so high-class that I felt I was totally out of place. For that reason, I chose not to enter the restaurant though I could afford the steep menu price. Nevertheless, I was satisfied that I caught sight of "Il Mare" after a long time of searching.

Sculptures like these are a common sight along Daehangno.

Quaint and unique buildings seen around Daehangno.

Looking out at a sunny Daehangno from inside Holly's Coffee.

Finally found my Il Mare Cafe & Pasta in Daehangno.

Marronier Park, a place where young people gather, play and perform.

Marronier Park is the former campus of the Seoul National University.

Standing among the crowd as if I knew what the performer was saying.

At Daehangno, inanimate buildings and sculptures were not the only things that were interesting, even the crowd was interesting. There was this group of kids which looked as if they were on a group outing. Everyone came all dressed up in animal dress. I was pretty amused by what I saw. If given the opportunity to join their party, I would like to wear a polar bear outfit. ^^

Kids in animal dress seen holding hands and walking in Daehangno.