Ballin' It Up In Seoul - Day 1

For our 3-year anniversary last month, Brenda purchased us a weekend in a luxurious hotel in Seoul, the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill. Friday after work we headed for the KTX and rolled into the capital around midnight. We caught a cab to Walkerhill, which is a lovely elevated area on the east side of the city overlooking the Han River. We were greeted by a man in a sweet Abraham Lincoln-style top hat, so we knew it would be good.

As it was about 1AM by the time we got there, our only meal option was room service. We settled on a deli sandwich, which may have been the highlight of the trip. It was on tasty bread loaded with turkey and peppered ham, thick slices of Swiss cheese, and the first fully ripe tomato I've seen in Korea. It was so good we took a picture of it (included in the gallery below).

We woke up feeling refreshed, if bloated, and relaxed a bit before heading to one of the hotel's many restaurants. After a breakfast/lunch of pasta we took the advice of the multi-lingual concierge and hopped on the subway to the National Museum. This building was impressive. In three hours there we only covered the first of three floors. As a lover of language I found the exhibit devoted to the development of Korean script (hangul or 한글) particularly interesting. The grounds of the museum were also beautiful, with a large reflecting pool and a traditional garden.

Taking in so much culture builds up a powerful appetite, so we decided to head home and grab our anniversary dinner at the hotel's Italian eatery. We knew we had chosen the right place when we saw our favored beverage, Gewürztraminer, on the wine list. I also ate lamb for the first time. Be forewarned: if you go to Korea and order your meat "rare," it will still be bleeding. I enjoyed it though and Brenda's stuffed chicken was also excellent.

Next, we decided to hit up the hotel casino. As mentioned before, only foreigners are allowed to gamble in Korea but once again they didn't check our passports - lucky because Brenda forgot hers. I didn't fare too well, losing a few bucks on the slots and 10,000 won on roulette. Brenda did much better, winning about 50,000 won on the slots. Korean slot machines are still coin-based rather than ticket-based so we got to hear the satisfying *clink* of hundreds of coins.

We wanted an after-gambling drink so we decided to head to the roof-top bar. Once we saw the drink menu however (20,000 won for a Guinness!) we opted for the cheaper Moroccan-themed bar near the lobby. The 7,000 won martini was much more pleasing for my wallet, and they had Britney Spears on the TV to Brenda's delight. Then, a jazz combo came onto the stage, further improving my evening. However, we were virtually chased out when the worst singer I've ever heard joined the band. We decided to call it a night.

Pictures below. Pages 1 and 2 are from Day 1. Story TBC.

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