역사의 문



The door to the heart of Seoul - Gwanghwamun

The old Seoul is inside the door. The new Seoul is outside the door. I'm standing somewhere in the middle of a time tunnel.

지하철 시장

Something told me that thing was not 'right' when I got off Cheongdam Station. There was whiff of 'gochujang' (chilli paste) and 'doenjang' (bean paste) in the air. Then I saw a stationary train in the middle of the station. When I looked in, I was in for a huge surprise. The train was not there to pick up passengers, it was a bazaar - a bazaar in a subway train.

On first look, the train was carrying something but definitely not passengers.

On closer look, the train was actually a bazaar.

Fridge was even available inside the carriage.

Boxes of sweet potatoes stacked almost to the ceiling, occupying a place which is supposed to be meant for wheelchair-bound passenger.

The walk-in crowd was encouraging and business quite decent.

이화마을 - 날개 골목

In Greek mythology, Icarus, wore a pair of wings constructed by his father, Daedalus, to escape from Crete where he was imprisoned. During his flight to freedom, he flew too close to the sun and the wax which held the feathers together melted away. His wings collapsed and he fell from the sky into the sea. The sea where he was drown is now known as the Icarian Sea, situated South of Greece.

Wings has always captured the imagination of mortals regardless of the reasons why they wish for one. When people got to know that there was a pair of wings somewhere in Ewha Village through the media, they went searching for it in throng. Nobody warned them that they shouldn't let the 'wings' get too close to limelight. As the popularity of the 'wings' grew, the dim created by excited visitors became too much to bear for the residents. To restore peace in the neighborhood, the 'wings' was whitewashed. The place where the wings once stood is known as the 'Wings Alley' - the other well-known alley of Ewha Village.

A picture of the wings before it was removed. The picture was pasted outside a convenience store at one corner of the 'Wings Alley'. The wings does look awe-inspiring.

The fate of the wings after getting too close to limelight

Remarks left on the wall by disappointed visitors who could not get to see the wings - "Please draw the wings", "I want to see the wings"

Painting of pine trees along the stairs leading to the 'Wings Alley'

The entrance of the 'Wings Alley"

Painting of birds on the flight of stairs leading to Naksan in 'Wings Alley'

The flyer wrote: The story of the neighborhood at the foot of Naksan - 'Wings Alley'. I would have called it the mythology at the foot of Naksan'. I think the person who felt the most pinch  from the loss of wings has to be the owner of the convenience store at the 'Wings Alley'. His business must have been booming when it suddenly bombed after the wings 'melted' away for getting too close to limelight. 

이화마을 - 꽃 골목

Ewha Village has two quite well known alleys, one of them is the 'flower alley' (꽃 골목). Big colourful flowers are painted on the stairway leading to Naksan.

Stairway leading to Naksan painted with big colourful flowers

You'll see this drawing saying "annyeong" to you before you climbs the stairs

At the top end of the stairs is this drawing of fish

Is this door real or painted on? It is real by the way.

이화마을 - 동네

Ewha Village, a residential area in Seoul, is located at the foot of 'Naksan' (낙산, 駱山) and next to Daehangno (대학로, 大學路). The nearest subway station is 'Hyehwa' station (혜화역, 惠化驛). Its proximity to Daehangno, best known for its many small art theatres and vibrant cultural scene,  created an ideal situation for it to take on some artistic touch.

Painting found on a wall in the neighbourhood of Ewha Village. The painting depicts a shy fairytale-like couple sitting on a tree while squirrels and cicada look on.

This is another part of the above painting depicting a village and its people in some far far away land. I like the blue sky and white clouds in the painting. 

 

A wall pasted with coloured tiles. The tiles act more like 'post-its'.



A closer look at the messages written on the tiles. Written on the blue tile,  11 Nov is Pepero Day. On the yellow tiles, four girls, calling themselves beauties, visited the place on 6 Oct 2010



A mama ladybird meter

A baby ladybird meter



A family of ladybirds which are actually meters

A large Morning Glory 'grown' over a pink wall



A drawn hat 'hangs' over the door

A full view of the two pictures above

The other side of the pink house which is missed out in above picture.

A dog standing precariously on a beam over the side of Naksan

Even road signs are interesting in Ewha Village. The sign above says 'children protected zone'.

한옥 - 상고재 (相婟齋)



'Yeorangjae' (여랑재), as seen in picture above is also 'Sanggojae' (상고재, 相婟齋). Apparently, this Korean traditional house underwent some minor renovation after being used as the filming site for the Korean drama '개인의 취향' (个人取向, Personal Taste). 

 

Despite the name change, tourists are still able to find their way to 43 북촌로11가길 (in Bukchon). You have to literally queue up to take picture of this house. It is that popular. Unfortunately, the house is out of bound to public. 

A slope in Bukchon next to 'Sanggojae'. There is always a constant stream of tourists in the vicinity searching for 'Sanggojae'. 

To get to 'Sanggojae', exit from Exit 2 of Anguk Station (Line 3). Follow the route marked by the blue line as shown in the above map. 'Sanggojae' is about 800m away from Exit 2. It is situated right on top of a slope.

Not all doors are closed to visitors in Bukchon. Visitors can have a taste of living in a 'Hanok' (한옥, Korean traditional house) in houses that provide homestay services.

Bukhon holds quite a rich variety of small and private museums. This museum above displays a collection of handmade traditional knots.  

Here is another museum in Bukchon. Not too sure what were displayed inside.

도심의 가을

Don't know how they get the two trees up there but they do look good

추수 후

Harvest season is over, it's time to rest until next spring.

산의 가을

Take a rest and enjoy the view as nature brings on its annual display of colours

가는 가을

Flowing away with water

Not all fallen leaves return to earth