Korea Trip: First Days in Seoul

Being back in Seoul was just amazing! We have missed Seoul so much since leaving three and a half years ago, and returning felt like coming home. It was so meaningful to have Joel with us and watch him experience his birth country. We have so many connections and memories there, and it will always be one of our favorite places on Earth.

Walking to our terminal

From the time we saw the big blue Korean Air plane pull up at our terminal, I found myself choking back tears so many times. It was surreal to be returning for our second son. My mom came with us this time to help out with Joel, and that turned out to be a huge blessing. Our flight went smoothly, and for some reason didn't seem as long as last time. Joel did great and even slept some. We brought a ton of activities for him to do, but really all he wanted to do was play on the ipad. We should have known!

Nana is ready to go!

We arrived in Seoul in the late afternoon and took the airport limosine bus to the guest house. We were all exhausted, but no one wanted to close their eyes and miss the sights of Seoul. Except Joel, that is. :)

We ended up staying in the same room as we had last time, which was really neat. It was so fun to tell Joel that we brought him to that very room and became a family.

The next day was Sunday, and really our only full day to sightsee. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace. One of our favorite things about Seoul is the blend of ancient and modern. Right behind this thousand year old building was a view of skyscrapers and a very modern city. We explored the palace and watched the changing of the guard ceremony.

These are fascinating all over the world!

He desperately needed a nap, but it didn't happen. 

After that we went in search of Cheonggyecheon Stream, which we knew Joel would like since he loves water so much. We didn't have much luck but found this cool fountain instead.

We had dinner and then happened upon a tourist station and were given directions to Cheonggyecheon Stream. It was dark by that time, but the stream had really cool colored lights at night, so it ended up being a good thing that we didn't find it right away. There was a little stepping stone and a wishing pond that Joel stood at and made a wish. We walked up and down for awhile and then headed back to the guest house for the night.