<\/p>\n

Korea, like an\u00a0onion (or Shrek),\u00a0is steeped in layers.\u00a0Ancient history and tradition hold fast as\u00a0trendy and\u00a0progressive thinking prevail.\u00a0It has an interesting\u00a0dynamic\u00a0of old and\u00a0ultra-modern, most likely\u00a0due to an age-old history of invasion. The fiercely held traditions\u00a0are entwined within a country that is, literally, \u00a0freshly built.\u00a0Nowhere is the gap more\u00a0dramatic than in the country’s capitol of\u00a0Seoul.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that is part of\u00a0its charm.\u00a0During my time in Korea, I would visit the electric streets\u00a0almost weekly to take in the dense history\u00a0in the morning, the\u00a0teeming markets by afternoon, and the hip clubs by night. Seoul\u00a0was my refuge, it was\u00a0my insight, and it was my wonder.<\/p>\n

Hemishpere<\/em> echoes this with\u00a0a “perfect” three-day itinerary for Seoul<\/a>, introducing the city as, “a major metropolis with pockets that feel untouched by industrialization. The joy of a visit is in plunging into both sides of Seoul\u2014the old and the new — and imagining where the city will go from here.”<\/p>\n

Many of the sights suggest get the personal Jon Wick seal of approval (as if that matters, really, but at least I can vouch for them). For modern, head to Yonsan Electronics Market, where I picked up an Ipod for a killer deal, then to Dongdaemun to experience the youth\u00a0phenomenon sweeping the globe. After catching up on the latest Girls Generation hits (Check out Gee Gee<\/a>— you’ll be singing it all day), take a ride up the N Seoul Tower over looking the labyrinth\u00a0that makes up the city.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0old Korea, and one of my personal favorites, head straight to the Insadong neighborhood, a hub of old world in the throngs of the new. Start exploring at\u00a0 Changdeokgung Palace, built in 1405, then to the Insadong shopping street \u00a0for some traditional crafts (if you’re lucky you’ll get a to catch a traditional\u00a0style\u00a0impromptu street dance), then hit up the changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace — all within walking distance.<\/p>\n

* Photo courtesy of TheExpeditioner Flickr Group<\/a> and \u00a0jonwick04<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Korea, like an\u00a0onion (or Shrek),\u00a0is steeped in layers.\u00a0Ancient history and tradition hold fast as\u00a0trendy and\u00a0progressive thinking prevail.\u00a0It has an interesting\u00a0dynamic\u00a0of old and\u00a0ultra-modern, most likely\u00a0due to an age-old history of invasion. The fiercely held traditions\u00a0are entwined within a country that is, literally, \u00a0freshly built.\u00a0Nowhere is the gap more\u00a0dramatic than in the country’s capitol of\u00a0Seoul. Perhaps that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,2562],"tags":[1616,1617,922,550],"yoast_head":"\n