A day (or two) late and a dollar (or more) short - but here is Sunday's story

Sunday morning, after our usual breakfast at the hotel, we decided to head over to the Itaewon area of Seoul.  There is a US Army base in Itaewon, and as a result, there are many English speaking expats and tourists that flock to this region.  It was a totally different experience to see and hear more American tourists, as well as for the workers in the shops and markets to be fluent in English.  They are a persistent bunch! :-)


Our first stop was the Hamilton Market where an amazing artists will paint beautiful scrolls to decorate the walls of your home.  I had him paint one with Joe's name (Sung Min Kim) painted in the Korean characters and one that said "Welcome" using Korean images.  Absolutely amazing.  When I get home, I'll add some pictures.  He painted 4 or 5 scrolls in 30 minutes as we shopped inside.  And shop we did.  I'm pretty sure that after today, Amy and I will have most of our shopping done.  In addition to decorative items for our home and souvenirs for friends and family, we have been picking up little items to give to Elena In Hee and Joseph Sung Min on the day we celebrate their joining our family.  We should be set through their teen years... (and we did some good haggling to boot.)


Next on our list was Eden's Pottery - this shop was amazing and the proprietress was SO sweet.  She remembered Amy's friend Lisa from a few months ago, when she came to pick up their second son -- so we got some extra special deals there as well.  Our arms were full and our bellies were empty so we headed for ... wait for it ... The Outback Steakhouse!  Yes, after a few days of kimchee, bulgogi, bibimbab, it was time for a change.  And yes, they have a Blooming Onion!!  We had a great lunch, took a cab back to the hotel, unloaded our bags and headed right back out to visit the War Memorial of Korea.


This was an incredible museum and had information on (and relics from) all the different wars that Korea, has a nation, has endured.  I was especially interested in the section on the Korean War as my dad had spent some time in Korea when he was in the Air Force.  Not only were there displays of uniforms, but boats, planes, tanks -- it is amazing and humbling to learn more about what the Korean people have endured.

After the War Memorial, we headed back to the Hamilton Mall in Incheon to try to get another scroll from the scroll man, but alas, he was gone for the day -- guess we'll need to head out there another time!  Our trip home on the subway was once again eventful, as we couldn't remember which of the 16 exits was the one that we use EVERY day.  We did not choose wisely, but DID stumble upon an outdoor concert we wouldn't have seen otherwise.  We  soon realized we were headed in the right direction and were at our home away from home, exhausted and ready to relax. 


We were too tired to head back out for dinner, so we decided to order a pizza and the front desk ordered us a pizza from Dominoes.  It was actually quite good!  Over dinner, we talked about our experiences so far, and the big one that will be taking place tomorrow afternoon - going to Korea Social Services and seeing our kids.  For me, it would be a continuation of the bonding that began on Saturday at Joe's dol; for Amy, it would be the first time seeing her absolutely stunning daughter Elena In Hee.


Here's hoping for a good night's sleep -- we've got a big day ahead of us!