The Seoul Train

Ok, I only named this post "The Seoul Train" because every time I talk about going into Seoul, my dad cracks a joke about getting there on the Seoul train...and yes, it's still funny every time.

All week, I've been looking forward to heading into Seoul with G for a sushi buffet and shopping. Really, just the opportunity to get away from Yangju and do something fun really kept me going. After the dreaded fan incident, I needed something to look forward to.

Meet Gina, my new Korean BFF

We headed out about 11am and it took us awhile to get there, but it was worth every second on that subway. As we walked into Muscus (pronounced moos-coos, and no, it has nothing to do with mucus, thanks), I smelled the most wonderful smells and realized this must be what heaven is like. Row upon row of delectable sushi, a salad bar with 8 different kinds of lettuce, 3 different kinds of sprouts, my favorite kiwi dressing, mushroom bisque, thinly sliced beef, shrimp salad, etc...I almost didn't know where to start! We had 2 hours and we were both determined to make the best of that time. We had grand visions of pacing ourselves but w e were both so hungry (no breakfast for me...call it a space saver) that we devoured our first plates within minutes. After that, we realized our mistake and took our time. We talked about life, love, travel, faith, and everything in between, all the while feasting on all that fabulous food. I was a happy girl when I left :)

doing damage to plate # 1

damage done to plate number 3

After we ate, we headed to Coex Mall, where I promptly found the bookstore and proceeded to become even happier than I was while eating all the sushi. I found the foreign books section and browsed for while. I managed to restrain myself and only bought the first 2 Harry Potter books (I've been wanting to re-read them for awhile) and a workbook/CD set for learning Korean. Good times for Ansley.

We walked through the mall, stopping for long periods at diffferent make-up counters (who knew I could be so girlie?) and I swear, I should have made commision on all the stuff I convinced G she needed to buy. We also went into a bunch of high end stores. I set off a small alarm in Gucci (a white-gloved lady quickly turned it off and handed me the item, as if I could afford a $700 wallet) and we quickly left that store. We browsed through Hermes, Armani, Gucci, and other nice stores and I'm totally sure we had them thinking we were rich enough to spend $3000 on a purse. Whatever.

My favorite part of the day? Walking through the food court a couple hours after the sushi feast and G asking if it was too early for her to be hungry again....this is what I love about this tiny Korean woman...she can (almost) outeat me at a sushi buffet and then be hungry again 2 hours later when I'm still walking feeling like I ate a small army.

When we finally headed home, we put together my bookshelf and did face masques...it was such a fun day and I look forward to many more excursions to many more feasts :)



We now have plans to have a weekly dinner at my place (first one is on Monday and features spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad), monthly trips to Seoul for a sushi fix and shopping, and a monthly date to explore a different part of Korea. I'm liking these plans! Korea, here I come!