Gahoedong Catholic Church • 가회동성당

On a cold sunny saturday morning, I stepped into this cathedral that combines both Korean Hanok and Western-style architecture. The place was quite. Peaceful almost. Lights coming in through the glass sliding doors on the sides of the Hanok. People quietly looking around the area admiring the structure of this complex. This is a perfect place to just be still and rest from all the hustle bustle of the city. 

I've passed by Gahoe-dong Catholic Church (가회동성당) in Bukchon Hanok Village numerous times before, but never once I entered the place. It's one of those places where you have to step inside to find out the charms of the building. The combination of east and west architecture definitely is very interesting. We also went to the rooftop and greeted with the view of rows of Hanok rooftops with the mountain on the background on one side, as well as the modern city skyline on the other side. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the history of the Catholic church, they have a history exhibition hall in the first floor of the building. 

And for those of you who are celebrating Chinese (Solnal) New Year this week, hope you have a good new year holiday! Spend some times with the loved ones, eat lots of good food, and hopefully get some rest as well. 새해 복 많이 받으세요~ :)

*Special thanks to Robin for showing us this place :)

Here are my photo walk buddies that day. Check out their blog/instagram for more awesome pictures:
@seoul_stateofmind, @ian_mckay, @happyboil, @inner.pastiche

New England Lobster

Today, I went on a little lunch date with my mom at New England Lobster Market & Eatery in Burlingame, CA. We found this place through yelp and decided to give it a try since we didn't know what to have for lunch. The ambiance of the place is really nice. They have plenty of tables on different rooms that you can sit on, so you wouldn't have to worry to have to fight for tables during lunch/dinner time (although I read the place got pretty crowded on weekends so you might have to wait for tables). We ordered the Dressed Lobster Roll, 1lb Maine Lobster Platter, and Lobster Corn Chowder to share and they were delicious. The lobster roll and the chowder have plenty of big lobster chunks and the lobster meat is very fresh. Eating it plain is good, but we squeezed some lemon juice to the meat and dip it into the melted butter that came with the order and we liked it better :) Also, they have a market section where you can buy fresh lobsters and east coast shellfish right from the restaurant.  

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I Left My Heart

…in San Francisco. And that's exactly why I'm back here again to spend the holiday season with the family. Been here two days and the gloomy stormy weather has welcomed me since I landed. It has been pouring down all day yesterday and some times today too, but at least there was sunshine and blue sky earlier today, so that was pleasant :) I'll try to blog about what I do around town and maybe alternate with some Korea-related posts. Let's see how it goes, no promises there :P But for now, I'm back on the road again :) Hope you have a great holiday season this year! 

Museum of Modern History of Korea

Came across a charming museum in Heyri Art Village, Museum of Modern History of Korea (한국 근현대사 박물관). That time we ran out of time so I didn't get to go inside the museum. But the things that they have in front of the building were very interesting. Maybe next time. 

Other posts from Heyri Art Village visit:

Heyri Art Village, Foresta Book Cafe, & Subi

Heyri Art Village (헤이리 문화예술마을)

Took a day trip to Paju and visited Heyri Art Village. The complex is definitely interesting and if you are a fan of architectural buildings, coming here might be fun for you. I went on a weekday and the place was pretty quite. I only saw a couple of people around the relatively big complex.  Nevertheless, it still fun though because it feels like we own the place :p . Inside Heyri Art Village, there are many different museums, art galleries, artists' workrooms, restaurants and cafes that you can visit. So there's definitely plenty to see.